With the rapid development of higher education in China and the emphasis on moral education, promoting altruistic behavior among college students has become an important part of moral development in universities. Based on Social Cognitive Theory, this study explores how students' perceptions of the moral atmosphere in their universities affect their altruistic behavior, and examines the mediating role of moral identity. The study surveyed students from five universities in Hebei Province, China, using convenience sampling. A total of 600 valid questionnaires were collected. The results show that students of different genders and majors have significant differences in their perceptions of the moral atmosphere, moral identity, and altruistic behavior. Furthermore, moral identity plays a partial mediating role between moral atmosphere perception and altruistic behavior. Received: 3 April 2025 / Accepted: 6 August 2025 / Published: 05 September 2025
Li et al. (Fri,) studied this question.