The cultivation of entrepreneurship in students has become an increasingly pertinent goal within global educational systems. Previous research examining the impact of entrepreneurial education programs on students’ entrepreneurial intentions has yielded conflicting results. This article delves into the hypothesis that this relationship is influenced by endogenous factors, such as locus of control and self-efficacy. It posits that the role of these variables contributes to elucidating the ambiguities prevalent in the literature. Employing the Theory of Planned Behavior, as a theoretical framework, this study investigates the connection between entrepreneurial training programs, endogenous factors, and entrepreneurial intention. The analysis is based on a sample of Italian students who participated in the Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey (GUESSS). The hypotheses were tested using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and subsequently fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA). The results affirm that entrepreneurial intention is positively influenced by a combination of exogenous and endogenous factors. The study offers insights for a more profound understanding of entrepreneurial training dynamics and the development of flourishing and dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystems. Furthermore, it demonstrates that integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) provides a useful framework for capturing the complex nature of the entrepreneurial intention phenomenon. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2024.
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