Impact of Entrepreneurship Education on Entrepreneurial Intention of Undergraduates: Special Reference to the Rajarata University of Sri Lanka

Abstract

Entrepreneurship education is becoming a key way to spark innovation, boost job prospects, and support sustainable growth. But in Sri Lanka, especially in public universities, Researcher doesn’t know enough about how well it actually works. This study looks at how entrepreneurship education affects the entrepreneurial intentions of students at Rajarata University, where many graduates struggle to find jobs and few start their own businesses, showing a clear gap between wanting to be an entrepreneur and actually doing it. The problem is that there’s little local evidence on how things like theoretical knowledge, practical training, mentorship, entrepreneurial mindset development, and university support for entrepreneurship turn into a real desire to start a business. The study uses a straightforward, numbers-based approach, collecting data from 369 students at Rajarata University through a detailed questionnaire. Researcher picked students randomly but made sure to include different groups fairly. Using stats like averages, correlations, and regression, Researcher tested how different parts of entrepreneurship education, like learning theory, practicing skills, getting mentored, developing a go-getter mindset, and having university backing, affect students’ confidence, willingness to take risks, and desire to launch a business. The results show that all these parts of entrepreneurship education positively boost students’ entrepreneurial intentions. The biggest impact comes from developing an entrepreneurial mindset, which suggests that changing how students think and feel about entrepreneurship matters more than just teaching technical skills. This study adds to our understanding by applying the Theory of Planned Behaviour to a Sri Lankan university setting and offers practical ideas for improving courses, supporting start-up incubators, and shaping policies to build a stronger entrepreneurial ecosystem.