From Classroom to Startup: Analysing the Link Between University Support and Entrepreneurial Intentions in a Developing Country

Entrepreneurship is widely recognised as a driver of social and economic development, and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) play a central role in cultivating entrepreneurial intentions (EIs) among students. While universities across the globe employ entrepreneurship support programmes, incubators, and enterprise development centres (EDCs), there is still limited clarity on which forms of support most effectively influence the EIs, particularly in emerging economies. This study addresses this gap by examining how entrepreneurial support at universities, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) region of Pakistan, shape students’ entrepreneurial behaviour and intentions. Drawing on a quantitative design, survey data were collected from 386 Master-level students and complemented with further document analysis. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) revealed three forms of university support as statistically significant predictors of EIs: entrepreneurial networking and support ((β=0.41, p<0.001), entrepreneurship clubs (β=0.36, p<0.01), and institutional linkages with society (β=0.33, p<0.01). Conversely, entrepreneurship education, supportive faculty, and entrepreneurial resources were found to have no significant effect on EIs (p >0.05). The findings suggest that universities can more effectively nurture EIs not only through classroom education but by embedding students within wider networks and societal linkages. This highlights the importance of moving from purely curriculum-based interventions to ecosystem-based support. The study contributes to global debates on human-centred entrepreneurship by demonstrating how universities, particularly in developing contexts, can enhance entrepreneurial behaviour through relationship-building, collaboration, and adaptive responses to contextual barriers. These insights are directly relevant to policymakers, educators, and practitioners seeking to strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems worldwide.