Abstract:

Entrepreneurial intention is widely recognised as a key antecedent of entrepreneurial behaviour and a relevant indicator of future employability, innovation capacity and proactive career orientation among university students. Within contemporary higher education systems marked by increasing internationalisation and cultural diversity, understanding how entrepreneurial intention varies across different student populations is particularly important for the development of inclusive and effective entrepreneurship education strategies.

This study analyses and compares entrepreneurial intention among Portuguese university students and students from Portuguese-speaking countries (CPLP), all enrolled at the University of Beira Interior (Portugal). In this context, nationality is considered as a proxy for international student status and, implicitly, for migration experience. The research distinguishes between short–medium-term and long-term entrepreneurial intention, recognising that entrepreneurial aspirations may vary depending on students’ temporal perspectives and career planning horizons.

Beyond nationality, the study examines whether differences in entrepreneurial intention are associated with experiential and educational factors, namely work experience, prior entrepreneurial experience and entrepreneurship education. Entrepreneurship education is understood in a broad sense, encompassing formal and informal learning experiences related to entrepreneurial knowledge and skills development, without being restricted to a specific curricular format.

A quantitative and comparative research design was adopted. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to undergraduate students from different academic fields. Statistical analyses included descriptive procedures and independent-sample tests, complemented by subgroup analysis in order to explore whether experiential and educational variables manifest differently among Portuguese and CPLP students. The study does not assume causal relationships; instead, it focuses on identifying statistically significant differences between groups and patterns of association.

The results reveal significant differences in entrepreneurial intention between Portuguese and CPLP students, with international students displaying consistently higher levels of intention, particularly in the short–medium term. Work experience and prior entrepreneurial experience are positively associated with entrepreneurial intention across both groups, although the magnitude and distribution of these differences vary. Entrepreneurship education shows differentiated effects, suggesting that exposure to entrepreneurial learning alone may not produce homogeneous outcomes across culturally diverse student populations.

These findings contribute to the field of entrepreneurship education by highlighting the importance of considering cultural diversity, migration-related trajectories and experiential backgrounds when designing curricular initiatives and institutional policies aimed at fostering entrepreneurial intention. The study underscores the need for higher education institutions to adopt more nuanced and context-sensitive approaches to entrepreneurship education, recognising that students’ prior experiences and mobility contexts may shape how educational interventions influence entrepreneurial orientation.

Keywords:

Entrepreneurial intention, Higher education, International students, Entrepreneurship education, CPLP students, Work experience, Entrepreneurial experience.