The Impact of Entrepreneurial Education on University Students’ Entrepreneurial Intention

The current study investigates the impact of entrepreneurship education (EE) on the entrepreneurial intentions (EI) of university students in an emerging developing country with a high rate of youth unemployment. Despite its inclusion in university courses to foster economic development and self-employment, EE's effectiveness within the country's unique socioeconomic environment is little understood. In an effort to fill this gap, the research employed a sequential exploratory mixedmethods design informed by the Theory of Planned Behaviour ( Ajzen1991). The research began with a qualitative component involving semi-structured interviews (n=10) between Addis Ababa University students, providing rich contextual data. This guided the development of a large-scale quantitative survey (n=332), which statistically tested the relationships between the main variables. The findings indicate that entrepreneurial intention is a complex process driven by the inter combination of entrepreneurship educational (EE), entrepreneurial role model (ERMs), entrepreneurial passion (EP) and Socioeconomic factors. The study positively confirms that EE has considerable effects on EI by equipping students with required skills and enhancing their perceived behavioural control. Furthermore, entrepreneurial passion (EP) was the best predictor of intention, and socioeconomic factors, such as family background and resources, have a determining but frequently restrictive role. The influence of entrepreneurial role models (ERMs) constituted a significant paradox. Although qualitatively identified as a source of inspiration, quantitative results showed their direct impact on intention was statistically insignificant. This discrepancy is attributed to the non-systematic engagement of ERMs within the formal curriculum. Synthesizing these findings, this study makes its core theoretical contribution through the development of the Investment-Uncertainty-Profit (IUP) Model. This new framework is intended to shift EE in developing economies away from abstract theory and towards resiliency in practice, with a central emphasis on managing uncertainty, attracting investment, and gaining profitability. The research ends on practical propositions to policymakers and educators, advocating experiential learning, systematic mentoring, and ecosystem facilitation to bridge the intention-act gap between entrepreneurial intention and actual business creation within the Ethiopian context.