ISSN: 2222-6990
Open access
Graduate unemployment remains a persistent issue in Malaysia, particularly among young university graduates who tend to prefer paid employment over self-employment. In response, higher education institutions have introduced entrepreneurship education to encourage graduates to consider entrepreneurship as a career option. However, entrepreneurial intention among undergraduates remains relatively low. This study examines the internal and external factors that influence entrepreneurial intention among university students. A quantitative approach was employed using a survey with open-ended questions administered to 114 final-year Bachelor of Business (Entrepreneurship) students at Universiti Malaysia Sabah. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that motivation, facility support, entrepreneurship courses, and creativity emerged as key internal factors, while entrepreneurial activities, role models, and financial support were identified as external factors influencing entrepreneurial intention. The study contributes empirical insights that may assist policymakers, universities, and relevant agencies in strengthening entrepreneurship education and support systems to foster entrepreneurial intention among undergraduates.
Aarabi, M. S., Subramaniam, I. D., & Alminitisir, M. S. (2013). The relationship between motivation and entrepreneurial intention among university students. International Journal of Management and Business Research, 3(1), 1–12.
Andriopoulos, C. (2000). Mind stretching: A grounded theory for enhancing organizational creativity. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Strathclyde.
Azwa Ambad, S. N., & Ag Damit, D. H. D. (2016). Determinants of entrepreneurial intention among undergraduate students in Malaysia. Proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Marketing and Retailing (5th INCOMaR).
Barba-Sánchez, V., & Atienza-Sahuquillo, C. (2018). Entrepreneurial intention among engineering students: The role of entrepreneurship education. European Research on Management and Business Economics, 24(1), 53–61.
Benzing, C., Chu, H. M., & McGee, C. (2007). Ghanaian and Kenyan enterprises: A comparative analysis of their motivations, success characteristics and problems. Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship, 12(3), 295–322.
Berglund, H., & Wennberg, K. (2006). Creativity among entrepreneurship students: Comparing engineering and business education. International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Life-Long Learning, 16(5), 366–379.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.
Bruton, G. D., Khavul, S., Siegel, D. S., & Wright, M. (2015). New financial alternatives in seeding entrepreneurship: Microfinance, crowdfunding, and peer?to?peer innovations. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 39(1), 9–26.
Bygrave, W. D. (2004). The entrepreneurial process. In W. D. Bygrave & A. Zacharakis (Eds.), The portable MBA in entrepreneurship (pp. 1–26). John Wiley & Sons.
Da Cruz, J. V. (2018). Beyond financing: Crowdfunding as an informational mechanism. Journal of Business Venturing, 33(3), 371–393.
Department of Statistics Malaysia. (2020). Labour force statistics Malaysia. Official Portal, Department of Statistics Malaysia.
Dewett, T. (2007). Linking intrinsic motivation, risk taking, and employee creativity in an R&D environment. R&D Management, 37(3), 197–208.
Hamidi, D. Y., Wennberg, K., & Berglund, H. (2008). Creativity in entrepreneurship education. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 15(2), 304–320.
Ismail, N. A. (2011). Graduate characteristics and unemployment: A study among Malaysian graduates. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 2(16), 94–102.
Kirkwood, J. (2009). Motivational factors in a push–pull theory of entrepreneurship. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 24(5), 346–364.
Lee, S. M., Chang, D., & Lim, S. B. (2005). Impact of entrepreneurship education: A comparative study of the U.S. and Korea. The International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 1(1), 27–43.
Mai, T. T., & Anh, N. T. (2013). Factors affecting entrepreneurial intention among youths in Vietnam. International Journal of Business and Management, 8(20), 63–77.
Martin, B. C., McNally, J. J., & Kay, M. J. (2013). Examining the formation of human capital in entrepreneurship: A meta-analysis of entrepreneurship education outcomes. Journal of Business Venturing, 28(2), 211–224.
McShane, S. L., & Von Glinow, M. A. (2010). Organizational behavior (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Mohamad, N., Lim, H. E., Yusof, N., Kassim, M., & Abdullah, H. (2014). Estimating the choice of entrepreneurship as a career: The case of Universiti Utara Malaysia. International Journal of Business and Society, 15(1), 65–80.
Nor, A. M., & Yufiza, M. Y. (2004). Motivational factors influencing entrepreneurship. Journal of Entrepreneurship Research, 2(1), 45–58.
Obschonka, M., Silbereisen, R. K., & Schmitt-Rodermund, E. (2012). Explaining entrepreneurial behavior: Dispositional and contextual influences. Journal of Entrepreneurship Research, 2(1), 1–35.
Othman, N. (2011). Entrepreneurship as a career choice among Malaysian graduates. Journal of Education and Vocational Research, 1(1), 20–29.
Peterman, N. E., & Kennedy, J. (2003). Enterprise education: Influencing students’ perceptions of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 28(2), 129–144.
Rahim, H. L., Abdul Kadir, M. A. B., Zainal Abidin, Z., Junid, J., Mohd Kamaruddin, L., Mohd Lajin, N. F., Buyong, S. Z., & Ahmad Bakri, A. (2015). Entrepreneurship education in Malaysia: A critical review. Journal of Technology Management and Business, 2(2), 1–11.
Tanveer, M. A., Zafar, S., Shafique, R., Jhangir, M., & Rizvi, S. (2013). Motivational factors and students’ entrepreneurial intention in Pakistan. Journal of Basic and Applied Scientific Research, 3(4), 263–269.
Türker, D., & Selçuk, S. S. (2009). Which factors affect entrepreneurial intention of university students? Journal of European Industrial Training, 33(2), 142–159.
Yahya, A. Z. (2010). Factors influencing entrepreneurial intention among students. Journal of Small Business Studies, 5(2), 45–58.
Yousuf, M., Sandu, M. S., & Jain, K. K. (2007). Relationship between psychological characteristics and entrepreneurial inclination. Journal of Asia Entrepreneurship and Sustainability, 3(2), 12–19.
Zaliza, H., & Mohd Safarin, N. (2014). Employability skills and graduate unemployment in Malaysia. Journal of Technical Education and Training, 6(1), 15–25.
Rahim, I. H. A., & Abdullah, A. S. (2026). Entrepreneurial Intention: The Role of Internal and External Factors. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 16(3), 411–416.
Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode