What promotes start-ups? A framework of university and voluntary entrepreneurial education in the higher educational sector

PurposeThis study aims to examine the impact of compulsory entrepreneurial education on startup creation via entrepreneurial intentions among university students in Pakistan. Moreover, this study has taken the moderating impact of voluntary entrepreneurial education on the direct and indirect relationship between compulsory entrepreneurial education and startup creation.Design/methodology/approachA three-wave time-lagged survey was done by drawing a multi-stage cluster-based sample of 374 students in public sector universities of Pakistan. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used with AMOS 26.0 to test our measurement model and assess overall model fit. The mediation and moderated mediation were tested through Model 7 of PROCESS Macro for hypothesis testing.FindingsThe findings revealed that compulsory entrepreneurial education has a positive impact on startup creation through the development of entrepreneurial intention; however, students who opt to study entrepreneurship through voluntary entrepreneurial education sources have a higher tendency to become entrepreneurs than their counterparts.Originality/valueThe varying impact of heterogeneity in entrepreneurial education is not extensively researched, leaving a question mark on the required outcomes. This research has highlighted the role of compulsory and voluntary entrepreneurial education on entrepreneurial intentions and startup creation based on experiential learning theory and the theory of planned behaviour.