The university environment and perceived support: a conceptual model for students’ entrepreneurial intentions and behaviour

Drawing on a conceptual synthesis of prior empirical studies and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), this paper develops a conceptual model to explain how the university environment (UE) and perceived university support (PUS) influence students’ entrepreneurial intentions (EI) and entrepreneurial behaviour (EB) in South Africa. The model integrates five dimensions of the UE (entrepreneurial culture, resources, networks, and two institutional dimensions (university-level normative and regulatory institutional dimensions), with three forms of support: educational, concept development and business development support. Using TPB as the main lens, the paper shows how the UE shapes attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control, and reconceptualises PUS as a double moderator that both strengthens the effect of the UE on these antecedents and reinforces the link between EI and EB, rather than serving only as a direct predictor of intention. Centring the South African youth unemployment crisis and the EI–behaviour gap, the model explains how the UE and support systems can help students move from intending to start a business to actually engaging in EB. The paper argues that EI alone is not sufficient in this context; young people require enabling environments that ease structural and psychological barriers and build capability for action. Based on patterns identified across prior empirical studies, the paper formulates testable propositions and derives practical implications for universities and policymakers seeking to strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems, close the intention–behaviour gap and contribute to more inclusive and sustainable student and graduate employment outcomes.