11.06.2026

Student entrepreneurship manifests in many ways. While some students start their own companies during their studies, others still develop business ideas, or work in real customer projects through cooperatives. For some entrepreneurial learning means participation in hackathons or innovation camps.

Learning environments, institutional structures, and teaching and coaching practices in higher education can support this diversity of entrepreneurial learning pathways.

Discussions on student entrepreneurship in higher education are often dominated by start-ups, growth ambitions and company creation. While these outcomes are visible and important, they risk narrowing our understanding of what student entrepreneurship entails during the study phase. Reflections from entrepreneurship education research and practice suggest a broader and more nuanced perspective is needed.

Developing entrepreneurial mindset

Research on entrepreneurship education has long highlighted that its outcomes extend beyond venture creation to include the development of entrepreneurial competences, mindsets, and diverse career trajectories, including intrapreneurship (Alsos et al., 2022; Nabi et al., 2017).

Entrepreneurial activities, such as spotting opportunities and taking calculated risks, do not merely happen through starting new businesses; it is also about developing a way of thinking and acting that reflects an entrepreneurial mindset or spirit (Kuratko, 2005; Fayolle & Gailly, 2008).

Indeed, there is an ongoing debate in the field as to whether entrepreneurship education should primarily lead to new firm creation or rather foster broader entrepreneurial capabilities among students (Rahman et al., 2022).

A broader and more nuanced perspective on student entrepreneurship is needed

These insights suggest that a broader and more nuanced perspective on student entrepreneurship is needed—one that recognizes multiple learning pathways, outcomes, and institutional conditions supporting entrepreneurial development.

Entrepreneurial learning embedded in academic studies

Recently we produced ScreenME Podcast episode #32: Student entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial mindsets at university. A talk with Anette Kairikko (Turku University of Applied Sciences, Finland) and Merle Levassor (Tallinn University, Estonia).

In that discussion together with Ulrike Rohn and Merle Levessor we emphasised that student entrepreneurship should not be equated solely with founding companies while studying. Instead, it should be understood as a learning process embedded in students’ everyday academic lives, shaped by institutional conditions, social support structures, and pedagogical choices.

Student entrepreneurship includes experimenting with ideas, developing entrepreneurial agency, and navigating uncertainty

From this perspective, student entrepreneurship includes experimenting with ideas, developing entrepreneurial agency, and navigating uncertainty. Many students engage in entrepreneurial activities informally or in parallel to their studies, without institutional recognition or academic credits. This creates a tension between formal curricula and what students experience as meaningful entrepreneurial learning.

Authentic learning environments

Authentic learning conditions matter. When students are given space to explore, fail safely, collaborate across disciplines, and take ownership of their initiatives, entrepreneurship becomes a vehicle for deeper learning rather than an additional performance requirement. However, such authenticity must be carefully balanced. Without reflective structures, mentoring, and realistic expectations, entrepreneurial engagement can easily lead to overload; especially for highly motivated students there is this risk.

Without reflective structures, mentoring, and realistic expectations, entrepreneurial engagement can easily lead to overload

Mentoring and peer networks are particularly critical enablers of sustainable student entrepreneurship. Rather than pushing students toward rapid venture creation, universities can support long-term development by fostering communities where students learn from each other, from educators, and from external partners. This aligns with the idea highlighting the educator’s role as a facilitator. An example of such learning model is the BusinessAcademy BisnesAkatemia, an innovative learning environment at Turku University of Applied Sciences.

Flexibility at institutional level

Another key insight is the importance of institutional flexibility. Rigid curricula and assessment models fail to accommodate entrepreneurial learning that unfolds over time and across formal boundaries. Universities that wish to support student entrepreneurship effectively need to rethink how learning outside the classroom is valued, recognized, and integrated into academic pathways.

Study time is also a perfect time to test and even fail

The recognition of entrepreneurial learning (or any learning for that matter) requires clear learning objectives which set the bar for acknowledgement of learning outside the formal education. It requires a switch in the mindset of the teaching staff to focus on objectives instead of contents.

Learning Process

Ultimately, reframing student entrepreneurship as a process of learning allows higher education institutions to support a more diverse group of students. It also enables entrepreneurship education to contribute meaningfully to innovation, social impact, and future work life. Entrepreneurial learning may play a significant role in identity development of young students. Study time is also a perfect time to test and even fail.