Fostering entrepreneurial intent: how entrepreneurial education moderates the subjective norms–intention relationship through self-efficacy

Aligned with India’s goals of self-reliance and job creation, this study explores the subjective norms (SN)–entrepreneurial intent (EI) relationship, mediated by entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) and moderated by entrepreneurial education (EE), among commerce students. Anchored in the theoretical frameworks of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and social cognitive theory, the research employs a moderated mediation framework to examine how entrepreneurial self-efficacy (ESE) transmits the effect of subjective norms (SN) on entrepreneurial intention (EI). It further investigates the boundary conditions—when and for whom EE strengthens or weakens this relationship—thereby clarifying how EE shapes this pathway in the Indian higher education context, particularly among students engaged with emerging AI-augmented curricula. Data were gathered from 380 commerce students across universities in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand through a structured questionnaire. To rigorously assess the hypothesized relationships, the study employed structural equation modeling (SEM) in AMOS for testing the measurement and structural models, and conditional process analysis via the PROCESS macro to examine moderated mediation effects. Results reveal that SN positively influences both ESE and EI, with ESE mediating this relationship. Furthermore, EE significantly enhances the positive impact of SN on ESE and EI, serving as a contextual moderator that amplifies the social influence-to-behavior pathway. The results emphasize how social influence, psychological belief, and educational context interact to shape entrepreneurial intent. The study contributes to TPB-based entrepreneurial research by demonstrating the conditional nature of social and cognitive mechanisms, and offers actionable insights for enhancing entrepreneurship education. Limitations related to sampling methods and regional generalizability are acknowledged, suggesting cautious interpretation of the findings.