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Systematic Review

Student Entrepreneurship Competence and Its Contribution to Sustainable Development: A Systematic Review in the Context of Chinese Higher Education

by
Yue Liu
1,
Bity Salwana Alias
2,* and
Aida Hanim A. Hamid
2
1
Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia
2
Research Center of Leadership and Educational Policy at the Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Sustainability 2025, 17(7), 3148; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17073148
Submission received: 12 March 2025 / Revised: 27 March 2025 / Accepted: 1 April 2025 / Published: 2 April 2025
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Abstract

:
This systematic literature review studies student entrepreneurial competence and its impact on sustainable development in the context of higher education in China. The objectives of this study are to identify the key factors affecting student entrepreneurial competence, recent research trends, and the role of student entrepreneurial competence in sustainable development. Using the PRISMA model, relevant literature from 2016 to 2025 was screened from databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect, and a total of 11 empirical studies from peer-reviewed journals were analyzed. The results show that entrepreneurial competitions, entrepreneurship education, experiential learning, interdisciplinarity, entrepreneurship policies, teachers, entrepreneurial curricula, the entrepreneurial environment, and morals all influence student entrepreneurial competence. In addition, this study reveals the role of student entrepreneurial competence in promoting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically in promoting innovation, creating employment opportunities, and enhancing college students’ sense of social responsibility. This study systematically identifies the core factors that affect student entrepreneurial competence in Chinese universities and provides practical suggestions for optimizing entrepreneurial education policies, improving student entrepreneurial competence, and promoting sustainable entrepreneurship. This study provides a theoretical basis for policymakers and university administrators and proposes strategies for optimizing entrepreneurial education that can be used as a reference, providing the Chinese experience for other emerging Asian economies to learn from, thereby expanding the global academic discussion on sustainable entrepreneurial education.

1. Introduction

Entrepreneurial competence is widely regarded as a key factor for entrepreneurial success [1,2]. As the global economic environment changes, entrepreneurship is not only an important driving force for economic growth and job creation, but it is also seen as an important way to enhance social innovation and sustainable development [3]. Entrepreneurial competence plays a vital role in advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly by supporting the integrated development of economic, social, and environmental sustainability [4,5,6]. First, the connection between entrepreneurship education and sustainable development goals provides a basis for cultivating students with sustainable entrepreneurial awareness and competence [7,8]. In terms of Sustainable Development Goal 8 (decent work and economic growth), the improvement of entrepreneurial competence enables students to develop the innovation, management skills, and market adaptability required for entrepreneurship, thereby promoting job creation and economic growth [9,10,11]. Entrepreneurship education enables students to identify market opportunities, integrate resources, and build sustainable business models that contribute meaningfully to the socio-economic system [12,13]. In addition, Goal 9 (industrial innovation and infrastructure) emphasizes technological progress and industrial upgrading, while entrepreneurship education cultivates students’ innovative thinking and practical ability, prompting them to explore sustainable development paths in scientific and technological entrepreneurship and emerging industries [14,15].
In addition to the impact on economic and industrial levels, the cultivation of entrepreneurial competence is also of great significance in terms of sustainable social development [16,17]. Social entrepreneurship, as an important direction of entrepreneurship education, can directly affect Goal 1 (eradicating poverty) and Goal 10 (reducing inequality) [18,19]. In this context, higher education institutions are increasingly focused on cultivating student entrepreneurial competence through entrepreneurship education to support career development and enhance social and economic vitality [20,21].
In recent years, entrepreneurship education has become a major trend in global higher education reform and is considered an important means of cultivating innovative talents and enhance national competitiveness [4,22,23]. Many developed countries have established relatively mature entrepreneurship education systems that help students improve their competence and turn ideas into real ventures through courses, incubators, competitions, and practical programs [24,25,26]. Research around the world has also shown that entrepreneurship education can effectively improve student entrepreneurial willingness and success rates [3,27] while promoting sustainable economic development [28,29]. However, in emerging economies such as China, the unique policy environment, education system, and cultural factors may have different impacts on entrepreneurship education [30].
Globally, the development model of entrepreneurship education differs significantly across regions [31,32,33]. Colleges and universities in Europe and North America usually adopt a market-driven model to encourage students to start their own businesses and cultivate students’ entrepreneurial competence through rich school–enterprise cooperation, entrepreneurial incubators, venture capital support, and flexible curriculum systems [34,35]. Taking the United States as an example, its college entrepreneurship education system emphasizes practice-orientedness. Many top universities have special entrepreneurship centers that provide entrepreneurship counseling, seed funds, and entrepreneurship competitions [36,37]. In contrast, European countries (such as Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom) place greater emphasis on social entrepreneurship and sustainable development in entrepreneurship education, combining entrepreneurial competence training with social innovation [38]. At the same time, Southeast Asian countries (such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia) have also been actively promoting entrepreneurship education reforms in recent years. Their governments have worked closely with enterprises and encouraged cross-border entrepreneurial exchanges to enhance college students’ international entrepreneurial competence [39,40].
Compared with Europe, America, and Southeast Asia, the entrepreneurship education system of Chinese universities differs significantly in its development model, policy orientation, and cultural background [41,42,43]. European and American universities generally adopt a market-driven model to cultivate students’ entrepreneurial competence through school–enterprise cooperation, entrepreneurial incubators, venture capital support, and practice-oriented curriculum systems, while Southeast Asian countries rely on close cooperation between the government and enterprises to promote the internationalization of entrepreneurship [39,44]. In contrast, entrepreneurship education in Chinese universities is mainly driven by government policies. In recent years, the Chinese government has proposed a “mass entrepreneurship and innovation” strategy and implemented a series of innovation and entrepreneurship education reforms to enhance college students’ entrepreneurial awareness and practical abilities [41,42,45]. Despite strong policy support, several challenges remain in implementation. First, although the policy provides macro-guidance for entrepreneurship education, its market orientation is relatively weak, and students’ independent entrepreneurial practice is limited [41,46]. Second, entrepreneurship education resources are unevenly distributed. Key universities have relatively complete incubators and entrepreneurial funds, while local universities have relatively limited resources, resulting in a gap in the accessibility of entrepreneurship education [47,48,49]. In addition, at the cultural level, China’s traditional employment concepts and social-stability orientation may inhibit college students’ entrepreneurial intentions, which is not obvious in regions with more open entrepreneurial cultures such as Europe, America, and Southeast Asia [50,51]. Therefore, providing effective policy guidance for building a more market-oriented, practice-oriented, and sustainable entrepreneurship education system while cultivating college students with truly sustainable entrepreneurial competence remains a core issue that needs to be urgently addressed in the entrepreneurship education reform of China’s higher education system.
In recent years, entrepreneurship education has become a vital component of global higher education systems, and many studies have explored its impact on college students’ entrepreneurial intention, entrepreneurial competence training, and sustainable economic development [52,53,54]. However, although some studies focus on the relationship between entrepreneurship education and sustainable development, most lack a systematic and integrated analysis. Therefore, a systematic review of entrepreneurship education in Chinese universities within the context of sustainable development is essential for identifying current challenges and exploring future development pathways.
This study adopts a systematic literature review to comprehensively organize and analyze the current status of entrepreneurship education and student entrepreneurship competence in Chinese universities, synthesizing findings from existing empirical research. Combined with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it explores how entrepreneurship education can promote sustainable economic, social, and environmental development. It also analyzes the main challenges of entrepreneurship education in Chinese universities under the current policy background and proposes strategies to enhance its practical effectiveness and long-term sustainability. This study not only provides a basis for decision-making for policymakers, university administrators, and educators but also provides theoretical support for future research to further promote the high-quality development of entrepreneurship education in Chinese universities and to enhance its competitiveness in the global entrepreneurship education system.

2. Method

To clearly demonstrate the systematic literature review (SLR) method of this study, Figure 1 presents a general methodology diagram outlining the entire process from research planning to data analysis and reporting. This research method includes three main stages: planning, the process, and a discussion of the results. In the planning stage, this study first determined the research question to ensure that the direction of the review was clear. Subsequently, the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) model was used to guide the literature search to ensure a scientific approach to the screening criteria, data extraction methods, and analysis framework. In the process stage, the researchers systematically searched databases (Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect) to obtain the relevant literature and filtered it in a layered screening manner from title screening to abstract screening and full-text evaluation, finally identifying the studies that met the inclusion criteria. Then, the selected literature was quality-assessed, low-quality studies were eliminated, and data extraction and theme induction analysis were performed. Finally, in the results and discussion stage, the researchers conducted a comprehensive analysis and result report of the screened data to ensure the integrity and academic contribution of the review.

2.1. Research Question

In recent years, student entrepreneurial competence (SEC) has attracted growing attention in higher education, particularly for its role in promoting economic innovation and sustainable development [45,47,55]. Although existing studies have explored the cultivation methods and influencing factors of SEC, research in this field is still relatively scattered in the context of Chinese higher education and a systematic review is lacking. First, there are differences in the measurement and analysis of student entrepreneurial competence by different research methods. Existing studies have used methods such as quantitative surveys, experimental studies, and case studies, but in the context of Chinese universities, what methods are mainly used in the study of student entrepreneurial competence? Can these methods accurately reflect the cultivation mechanism of student entrepreneurial competence? Therefore, it is necessary to explore the research methods of student entrepreneurial competence. Second, the factors influencing student entrepreneurial competence differ across national and educational contexts. It is essential to examine how policy drivers, cultural elements, and curriculum design specifically shape student entrepreneurial competence within Chinese universities through a systematic synthesis of existing findings. Finally, there is no consensus on how student entrepreneurial competence affects sustainable development. Entrepreneurship education is believed to promote social innovation, but specifically in Chinese universities, can student entrepreneurial competence really promote the sustainable development of the economy, society, and environment?
This study uses a systematic literature review (SLR) to comprehensively analyze existing empirical studies and proposes the following research questions to fill the gap in SEC research in Chinese universities and to provide a theoretical basis for policymakers and educators:
What are the research methods for studying student entrepreneurial competence in the context of Chinese higher education?
What factors affect the level of student entrepreneurial competence in the context of Chinese higher education?
How does student entrepreneurial competence affect sustainable development in the context of Chinese higher education?

2.2. Data Sources and Search Methods

To comprehensively cover the literature on faculty commitment in Chinese higher education, this study initially used five academic databases: Web of Science (WoS), Scopus, ERIC, Science Direct, and Wiley. These databases were selected because they cover a wide range of peer-reviewed education and psychology literature, providing a solid foundation for exploring faculty commitment in Chinese higher education. Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) cover most of the top international journals, ensuring the high quality of the literature. ScienceDirect supplements the literature in the fields of engineering, technology, and business management. However, after a keyword search, we found that a cross-search of Scopus, Web of Science (WoS), and ScienceDirect covered most of the high-impact SEC research, and ERIC and Wiley demonstrated a high level of duplication with articles in the selected literature databases. Therefore, we finally decided to conduct our search based on three databases (Scopus, Web of Science (WOS), Science Direct). The last search was on 22 February 2025.
Our search strategy was carefully designed to cover a wide range of literature. We carefully selected keywords across all databases to maximize the number of relevant articles and to ensure the comprehensive capture of both broad and specific studies relevant to our research topic. Table 1 summarizes the keyword search settings for each database. The keyword settings for each database were adjusted based on the advanced search requirements of the different databases.
The fact that 1309 publications from a range of fields, including education, were found using the keyword searches shows how crucial these databases are for providing information on subjects related to our study goals. Table 2 summarizes the specifics of the records that were initially retrieved and the studies that were finally chosen.

2.3. Criteria for Inclusion and Exclusion

This study only analyzed articles published in English in the past 10 years, reducing the dataset to 1079 articles. Then, we selected peer-reviewed empirical studies (excluding conference minutes and academic papers), leaving 865 articles. EndNote 21.5 (Bld 20846) software was used to remove duplicates, leaving 774 articles. After removing articles with weak relevance to the topic, 235 articles were left. After reading the abstracts and keywords, 57 articles were left. After full-text evaluation, 24 studies were found to meet the inclusion criteria. Finally, after rigorous discussion by the authors, only 11 studies were considered in the final discussion.
This study used the PRISMA model to conduct a systematic literature review and strictly screened the 11 studies that met the research criteria from the 1309 retrieved articles. This screening process was based on a series of strict inclusion and exclusion criteria to ensure the quality and relevance of the selected studies. These criteria are detailed in Table 3. First, only peer-reviewed English literature published between 2016 and 2025 was included, and these articles were required to explicitly explore student entrepreneurship capabilities (SECs) in the context of Chinese higher education. Non-related topics, non-”article” categories (such as conference papers, books, or review articles), non-peer-reviewed studies, and literature for which the full text was not available were excluded. In addition, this study adopted a set of detailed research quality assessment criteria, including the relevance of the research objectives, the clarity of the research design, the application of the theoretical framework, the rigor of the sample selection and data collection, the reliability of the analytical methods, and the credibility of the research conclusions. During this rigorous evaluation process, many studies were excluded due to a lack of clear method descriptions, insufficient data support, or failure to provide reasonable theoretical support. In the end, only 11 studies met all the screening criteria and were included in the analysis. Although the number of studies included in the end was small, this ensured the academic quality of the research and enhanced the theoretical value and policy guidance of this review for the development of SEC in Chinese universities.

2.4. Screening and Selection Process

As shown in the PRISMA flow chart in Figure 2, the screening process was rigorously structured to ensure the fair and systematic selection of studies for inclusion in this review. A checklist based on the updated PRISMA 2020 guidelines is also provided in the Supplementary Materials.

2.5. Evaluation Criteria

Each study was critically assessed using a set of criteria to ensure that the study met high methodological standards. As shown in Table 4, we designed a detailed checklist to help us evaluate various aspects involving the clarity of the study objectives, the appropriateness of the study design, and the credibility of the study results. This methodical scoring system demonstrates our commitment to only including rigorously researched studies in our analysis.

3. Results and Discussion

After systematically combing the literature, this paper proposes the following discussion on the research of student entrepreneurial competence in the context of Chinese higher education: In the context of Chinese higher education, research on student entrepreneurial competence has become an important topic in the field of entrepreneurship education. The existing literature has systematically discussed the research methods, influencing factors, and the role of entrepreneurial competence in the sustainable development of entrepreneurial competence. However, although some progress has been made with relevant research, this area still faces many challenges. It is necessary to further optimize the research methods and to explore how to effectively improve students’ entrepreneurial competence and promote the sustainable development of the economy, society, and environment in combination with the actual situation in Chinese higher education.

3.1. Research Methods for Student Entrepreneurial Competence

As shown in Table 5, in the study of students’ entrepreneurial competence, scholars have adopted a variety of research methods to comprehensively reveal the influencing factors of entrepreneurial competence, how it is developed, and its role in entrepreneurial performance and sustainable development.
Quantitative research methods are the most common research methods in this field, mainly through the use of questionnaires and statistical analyses that verify the relationship between different variables. Empirical studies on Chinese college students have used the structural equation model (SEM) and partial least-squares (PLS) regression analysis to analyze the comprehensive impact of entrepreneurship competitions, policy support, and entrepreneurial education on college students’ entrepreneurial competence [56,57]. Another study used multi-level regression analysis, verifying the relationship between the entrepreneurial environment, entrepreneurial education, and entrepreneurial self-efficacy, further analyzing the mediating effect of entrepreneurial competence [58].
In addition to quantitative methods, qualitative research plays an important role in exploring the conceptual framework and mechanism underlying entrepreneurial competence. The Delphi method is commonly employed to develop a theoretical framework of entrepreneurial competence. Through multiple rounds of anonymous interviews and feedback, key characteristics of students’ core entrepreneurial competencies are identified and validated against real entrepreneurial cases [30]. Case studies are also widely used to examine how entrepreneurial competence is developed in different educational contexts. One study analyzed how different education models affect the development of students’ entrepreneurial competence [59]. Some studies have adopted mixed methods, e.g., combining questionnaire surveys with focus-group interviews, to comprehensively evaluate the effectiveness of entrepreneurship education. By comparing student groups that have experienced different entrepreneurship education models and by combining questionnaire data with interview content, we can deeply analyze how entrepreneurship education affects students’ social entrepreneurship competence [59].
In recent years, researchers have increasingly adopted experimental research methods to more accurately measure the impact of entrepreneurship education interventions. Studies have tested the long-term impact of entrepreneurship courses on students’ competence and intentions, showing that practice-oriented training is more effective than traditional classroom teaching [60]. Big-data analysis and text-mining techniques have also been applied to entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial competence research. For example, one study analyzed college students’ entrepreneurial behavior patterns and identified key indicators of entrepreneurial competence [55]. Some studies use social network analysis to explore how resource acquisition in the entrepreneurial ecosystem affects student entrepreneurial competence [61].
Overall, the research methods on student entrepreneurial competence show a trend of diversification and integration. Traditional quantitative research methods still dominate, especially questionnaire surveys and statistical modeling, while qualitative methods such as the Delphi method and case studies provide support for theoretical construction. The integration of mixed methods, experimental research, big-data analysis, and network analysis enables research to more comprehensively capture the formation process of entrepreneurial competence and its impact on entrepreneurial behavior and sustainable development. Future research could incorporate longitudinal studies and comparative cross-cultural studies to explore dynamic changes in entrepreneurial competence between different educational backgrounds and social environments.

3.2. Factors Affecting Student Entrepreneurial Competence

In examining the factors that affect college students’ entrepreneurial competence in the context of Chinese higher education, we found a variety of key variables that affect students’ entrepreneurial competence. These variables not only contribute independently to the development of entrepreneurial competence but also interact across multiple levels to form a multidimensional entrepreneurship education system. As summarized in Table 6, these factors include entrepreneurial competitions, entrepreneurial education, experiential learning, interdisciplinary exchanges, entrepreneurial policies, entrepreneurial mentors, entrepreneurial courses, the entrepreneurial environment, and ethics, which, together, shape college students’ entrepreneurial cognition, skills, and practical abilities. To understand how these factors operate, we have rearranged them to reflect the progressive logic from personal learning to the external environment and analyzed the interactive relationship between the factors.
Entrepreneurship education is the basis for cultivating college students’ entrepreneurial competency [3,57]. Research shows that entrepreneurship education significantly enhances students’ entrepreneurial knowledge, skills, attitudes, and intentions. High-quality entrepreneurial education covers various forms such as theoretical teaching, case analysis, market practice, etc., providing students with a systematic entrepreneurial knowledge framework [57]. Furthermore, entrepreneurship education plays a vital role in entrepreneurial competitions, which are considered an important mechanism through which universities deliver practical entrepreneurial training [63]. Entrepreneurial competitions not only provide practical opportunities but also stimulate students’ innovative thinking and entrepreneurial spirit through competitive mechanisms [3]. Moreover, research has further found that entrepreneurship education has a significant mediating role in the impact of entrepreneurship competitions on entrepreneurship competence; that is, students who receive systematic entrepreneurship education perform better in competitions, and it is also easier to cultivate entrepreneurship competence in practice [57].
Experiential learning plays a crucial role in cultivating entrepreneurial competence [59,60,61]. Unlike traditional classroom teaching, experiential learning emphasizes students’ active participation in real or simulated environments. According to studies, experiential learning bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical abilities, allowing students to practice business planning, market research, and product development in real-world contexts [61]. Experiential learning is closely integrated with entrepreneurial competitions. Many entrepreneurial competitions encourage students to test their business models in actual market environments, thereby improving their entrepreneurial practical abilities [61].
Interdisciplinary collaboration has also emerged as an important approach to fostering students’ innovation capabilities in the development of entrepreneurial competence [57,59]. Since entrepreneurial practice often involves the intersection of knowledge from multiple disciplines, interdisciplinary teams are usually able to demonstrate stronger comprehensive capabilities in entrepreneurial competitions and innovation projects [59]. In addition, colleges and universities are gradually encouraging cross-disciplinary, cross-campus, and cross-regional cooperation to promote diversified entrepreneurial discussions and resource sharing [57].
At the external support level, entrepreneurship policies offer essential resource guarantees. Research shows that the policy environment can reduce startup costs and foster a more stable market environment by supporting innovative enterprises [57]. Moreover, entrepreneurship policies also have a positive impact on students’ entrepreneurial confidence and intentions, especially in areas with a more complete entrepreneurial ecosystem where college students are more likely to choose entrepreneurship as a career path [57].
Within higher education institutions, the entrepreneurial mentor system provides professional guidance to students [57,60,62]. Mentors include on-campus teachers, successful entrepreneurs, and industry experts, who play a vital role in the incubation process of entrepreneurial projects [57,62]. Research has found that entrepreneurial mentors can not only provide business strategy advice but also help students establish industry connections and obtain market resources. In addition, entrepreneurial mentors’ sharing of experience and practical guidance can enhance students’ entrepreneurial confidence and increase their entrepreneurial success rate [62].
As a core element in the entrepreneurship education system, entrepreneurship courses play a vital role in the cultivation of entrepreneurial competence [55,60]. Research shows that the quality, content design, teaching methods, and practicality of entrepreneurship courses directly influence students’ entrepreneurial competence [55]. One study also noted that the effectiveness of entrepreneurship instruction is significantly influenced by the broader campus entrepreneurial environment. Colleges and universities should provide more entrepreneurial resources and opportunities to promote the transformation of course learning into practice [60].
In summary, in the context of higher education in China, research on student entrepreneurship has made some progress, but it still faces challenges such as limited research methods and insufficient educational practicality. Student entrepreneurship is influenced by multiple interrelated factors that collectively form an interactive entrepreneurship education ecosystem. At the individual level, entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurship competitions, experiential learning, and interdisciplinary exchanges jointly promote students’ knowledge accumulation and ability development. At the policy and support level, colleges and universities should optimize the entrepreneurship education system, strengthen interdisciplinary cooperation, improve the practicality of entrepreneurship courses, and provide more policy and resource support to enhance students’ entrepreneurship skills and promote the sustainable development of entrepreneurship education. The government should further strengthen entrepreneurship policy support, improve the entrepreneurship ecosystem, and ensure that college students’ entrepreneurship obtains more resource support in the market, thereby promoting the coordinated development of the economy, society, and environment. Future research should also address the differentiated needs of diverse entrepreneurial groups, such as exploring competence development pathways among students with different academic backgrounds, genders, and career stages. In addition, more targeted educational interventions are needed to promote the high-quality development of entrepreneurship education and to enhance the global competitiveness of Chinese universities in this field.

3.3. The Impact of Students’ Entrepreneurial Competence on Sustainable Development

In examining the impact of students’ entrepreneurial competence on sustainable development, entrepreneurial performance, entrepreneurial intention, and entrepreneurial self-efficacy are key mediating variables [3,56,58], These factors not only determine the possibility of entrepreneurial success but are also closely linked to economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Existing research shows that entrepreneurial competence enhances entrepreneurial performance by strengthening adaptability, innovation, and resource integration, thereby contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) [4,64,65].
First, the improvement of entrepreneurial performance driven by entrepreneurial competence has a direct impact on sustainable development [30]. Studies have shown that students with higher entrepreneurial competence are more adaptable in complex business environments, enabling them to innovate and respond effectively to changing market conditions, thereby improving business performance [56]. High-quality entrepreneurship education increases college students’ entrepreneurial success by mediating the function of entrepreneurial competence, thus promoting the stable development of firms [58]. The role of entrepreneurial competence is more significant when the environment is more dynamic because it can help entrepreneurs identify opportunities and make effective decisions under rapidly changing market conditions [56]. Enhanced entrepreneurial performance means not only higher economic returns but also the emergence of more sustainable business models, thereby contributing to Sustainable Development Goal 8 (decent work and economic growth) and Sustainable Development Goal 9 (industrial innovation and infrastructure) [66,67,68].
Second, enhanced entrepreneurial intention promotes innovation and entrepreneurship culture within society, thereby contributing to sustainable development [69,70,71]. Research shows that the cultivation of entrepreneurial competence can effectively enhance college students’ entrepreneurial intentions [3]. When students engage in positive experiences in practices such as entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurship competitions, and experiential learning, they are more likely to choose entrepreneurship as a career path and to promote the development of an innovative entrepreneurial ecosystem [58]. In the context of sustainable development, stronger entrepreneurial intentions lead not only to increased commercial activity but also to the growth of social entrepreneurship—an essential driver for achieving SDG 1 (eradicating poverty) and SDG 10 (reducing inequality) [72,73,74].
Additionally, entrepreneurial self-efficacy serves as a crucial mediating factor between entrepreneurial competence and sustainable development [75]. Entrepreneurial self-efficacy refers to the confidence of entrepreneurs in completing their entrepreneurial tasks and is shaped by factors such as entrepreneurial competence, the entrepreneurial environment, and entrepreneurial experience [76,77,78]. Studies indicate that entrepreneurial competence can enhance individuals’ ability to integrate social resources and help entrepreneurs obtain market information, financing channels, and policy support, thereby reducing entrepreneurial uncertainty and increasing the success rate of entrepreneurship [79,80]. In terms of sustainable entrepreneurship, entrepreneurs with high self-efficacy are more inclined to adopt responsible business practices. Therefore, strengthening entrepreneurial self-efficacy will help promote the realization of Sustainable Development Goal 12 (responsible consumption and production) and Sustainable Development Goal 13 (climate action) [76,81].
It is worth noting that the entrepreneurial environment, as an external support factor, plays an enhancing role in entrepreneurial competence and its sustainable impact [80,82,83]. Research shows that a good entrepreneurial environment can provide the resources needed for entrepreneurship, reduce entrepreneurial risks, and create more favorable market conditions for entrepreneurs [84]. A positive environment not only strengthens students’ entrepreneurial competence but also encourages them to adopt long-term sustainability strategies during the entrepreneurial process. Therefore, the optimization of the entrepreneurial environment can further amplify the positive impact of entrepreneurial competence on sustainable development [58].
Ultimately, student entrepreneurial competence ultimately promotes sustainable economic, social, and environmental development by improving entrepreneurial performance, entrepreneurial intention, and entrepreneurial self-efficacy [85,86]. In this process, entrepreneurial education, the entrepreneurial environment, and policy support work together to ensure that entrepreneurs can continue to innovate and create social value through market competition [87,88].
Figure 3 shows the key factors affecting student entrepreneurial competence (SEC) on the left and their role in sustainable development on the right. These factors work together to improve students’ entrepreneurial competence through education, policy support, practical experience, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The improvement of student entrepreneurial competence also further promotes sustainable development, which is reflected in four main aspects: promoting economic growth and employment (SDG 8), promoting industrial innovation and infrastructure construction (SDG 9), reducing poverty and social inequality (SDGs 1 and 10), and enhancing social responsibility and sustainable entrepreneurship (SDGs 12 and 13). This model emphasizes that the improvement of entrepreneurial competence not only affects personal entrepreneurial success but also makes important contributions to the sustainable development of the economy, society, and environment.
Although this study supports the positive impact of student entrepreneurial competence on sustainable development, contrasting perspectives exist in the literature. According to the Sustainable Entrepreneurship Theory proposed by Schaltegger and Wagner (2011), improvements in student entrepreneurial competence should not only focus on business success but also promote the achievement of social and environmental goals [89]. However, some studies believe that in some developing countries, the improvement of student entrepreneurial competence has not significantly promoted social innovation but has instead strengthened business competition thinking and weakened sustainable entrepreneurial orientation [57,90,91]. In addition, some scholars argue that although entrepreneurship education can improve college students’ entrepreneurial competence, most current entrepreneurship courses in universities still focus on short-term business success rather than long-term sustainable development goals [47,92,93]. This study also highlights that the development of student entrepreneurial competence in Chinese universities is largely policy-driven, whereas in Europe and North America, entrepreneurship education tends to be guided by market mechanisms and university–industry collaboration. Different models show that when promoting the development of student entrepreneurial competence, Chinese universities can learn from the sustainable entrepreneurship experience of different countries and enhance the market orientation to better balance policy support and actual entrepreneurial needs. Chinese universities still need to strengthen the awareness of sustainable development in entrepreneurship education to avoid the cultivation of students’ entrepreneurial competence into becoming a mere tool for commercial entrepreneurship while ignoring its impact on the sustainable development of the environment and society. Therefore, while this study affirms the role of entrepreneurial competence in advancing sustainability, particularly through competitions and interdisciplinary collaboration, future research should further investigate whether entrepreneurship education genuinely cultivates sustainable entrepreneurial mindsets beyond merely fostering business innovation.

4. Conclusions

This study systematically analyzed the research methods, influencing factors, and role of Chinese college students’ entrepreneurial competence in sustainable development, and on this basis, we have put forward targeted policy optimization suggestions, providing theoretical support for policymakers and university managers and providing the example of the Chinese experience for other emerging economies to learn from. The results show that entrepreneurship education, government policy support, and practical learning play a key role in improving students’ entrepreneurial competence, but how to optimize policies and education systems to more effectively promote sustainable entrepreneurship is still an issue that universities and policymakers need to focus on.
Based on the research findings, most of the included studies use cross-sectional data rather than longitudinal studies, which limits the analysis of dynamic changes in entrepreneurial competence to some extent. Therefore, future studies should adopt more longitudinal research methods to track the development process of college students’ entrepreneurial competence and combine experimental research with follow-up surveys to more closely analyze the long-term impact of different educational interventions. In addition, the existing research still has limitations related to data sources, the use of single methods, and sample representativeness. Future research should further combine multivariate data, longitudinal analysis, mixed-method research, and a comparative analysis of different education systems to enhance the comprehensive understanding of the development path of students’ entrepreneurial competence and to promote more targeted policy optimization and education reform practices.
Students’ entrepreneurial competence is affected by policies. The direction of policy optimization should include deepening the reform of entrepreneurial education in colleges and universities, enhancing the practicality of courses, promoting interdisciplinary cooperation, and ensuring that the course content matches market demand. The policy support system should be improved by optimizing financial support, tax incentives, and information dissemination mechanisms; lowering the threshold for entrepreneurship; and improving the accessibility and effectiveness of policies. A more open entrepreneurial ecology should be built to promote in-depth cooperation between schools and enterprises, set up entrepreneurial incubators, and promote regional industrial integration. Additionally, the entrepreneurial competence evaluation system should be optimized, establishing a unified national evaluation standard and scientifically evaluating entrepreneurial competence by combining quantitative and qualitative methods. China’s “mass entrepreneurship and innovation” strategy, interdisciplinary entrepreneurial training model, entrepreneurial competition incubation mechanism, and other innovative measures have played a positive role in improving students’ entrepreneurial competence. These experiences can provide a valuable reference for other emerging economies.
Although it is clear how policy should be optimized, there are still many challenges in the implementation process. First, the distribution of entrepreneurial education resources in colleges and universities is uneven. Key universities often have relatively rich entrepreneurial education resources, while local universities have relatively weak entrepreneurial support, which restricts the fairness and effectiveness of the entire entrepreneurial education system to a certain extent [47,94,95]. Therefore, the government needs to set up special funds to ensure that entrepreneurial education resources can support universities at different levels and encourage universities to establish resource-sharing mechanisms to promote educational equity. Second, students’ entrepreneurial risk awareness and business planning capabilities are still insufficient. Many college students lack accurate judgment of the market environment during the entrepreneurial process, resulting in a high rate of entrepreneurial failure [96,97,98]. In response to this problem, colleges and universities should add entrepreneurial risk management training to entrepreneurial education courses, establish a “failure learning mechanism”, and help students summarize their failure experiences and improve their entrepreneurial resilience through case teaching, mentor guidance, and reflective learning. Finally, the implementation of entrepreneurial policies still faces certain resistance. Due to the complexity of administrative approval procedures in some universities and insufficient policy implementation, it is difficult for relevant policies to truly benefit student entrepreneurs [99,100,101]. The government and university managers should establish a more flexible policy implementation mechanism, simplify the approval process, enhance the operability of policy implementation, and regularly evaluate the effectiveness of policy implementation to ensure that policies can accurately support the long-term development of entrepreneurial education.
Overall, this study has not only identified the core factors that affect the entrepreneurial competence of Chinese college students but also puts forward targeted policy recommendations to promote the optimization of students’ entrepreneurial competence and the sustainable development of entrepreneurship. However, due to differences in culture, policies, and education systems among countries, future research should further explore how to optimize entrepreneurial education in combination with the entrepreneurial ecology of various countries in the context of globalization, enhance college students’ entrepreneurial competence, and promote the sustainable development of the economy and society.

Supplementary Materials

The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/su17073148/s1. Table S1. PRISMA 2020 checklist. Table S2. PRISMA 2020 for Abstracts checklist [102].

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, Y.L. and B.S.A.; methodology, Y.L. and B.S.A.; validation, Y.L., B.S.A. and A.H.A.H.; formal analysis, Y.L., B.S.A. and A.H.A.H.; writing—original draft preparation, Y.L., B.S.A. and A.H.A.H.; writing—review and editing, Y.L., B.S.A. and A.H.A.H. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research was funded by the Faculty of Education, National University of Malaysia.

Institutional Review Board Statement

Not applicable.

Informed Consent Statement

Not applicable.

Data Availability Statement

No new data were created or analyzed in this study. Data sharing is not applicable to this article.

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan, Malaysia, for supporting this research. We are very grateful for the expertise and dedication of all the experts who participated and validated this research.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Figure 1. Methodology diagram.
Figure 1. Methodology diagram.
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Figure 2. PRISMA flow chart.
Figure 2. PRISMA flow chart.
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Figure 3. Factors influencing students’ entrepreneurial competence and their role in sustainable development.
Figure 3. Factors influencing students’ entrepreneurial competence and their role in sustainable development.
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Table 1. Summary of keyword search settings.
Table 1. Summary of keyword search settings.
DatabaseKeyword Search Settings
Web of Science (WOS)ALL = ((“Competence” OR “Competencies” OR “Skills” OR “Abilities”) AND (“Entrepreneurial” OR “Entrepreneurship”) AND (“China” OR “Chinese”) AND (“University” OR “College” OR “Student” OR “Universities”))
ScopusTITLE-ABS-KEY((competence OR competencies OR skills OR abilities) AND (entrepreneurial OR entrepreneurship) AND (China OR Chinese) AND (university OR college OR student OR universities))
Science Direct(“entrepreneurial competence” AND (China OR Chinese) AND (university OR college) AND “Student”)
Table 2. Summary of initial searches of the literature databases and the selected quantities.
Table 2. Summary of initial searches of the literature databases and the selected quantities.
Literature DatabaseScopusWOSScience Direct
Initial records retrieved31093762
Final selected11
Table 3. Inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Table 3. Inclusion and exclusion criteria.
CriteriaInclusionExclusion
Publication periodStudies published between 2016 and 2025Studies published before 2016 or after 2025
LanguageArticles written in EnglishArticles written in languages other than English
Document typeArticles indexed as “article”Articles indexed as non-”articles”
Research focusStudies explicitly discussing both higher education in China and student entrepreneurship competenceStudies not explicitly discussing higher education in China and student entrepreneurship competence
AccessibilityStudies where the full text was accessibleFull-text studies not available
Peer reviewArticles that were peer-reviewed Articles that were not peer-reviewed or that lacked research quality
Table 4. Evaluation criteria.
Table 4. Evaluation criteria.
Evaluation CriteriaSpecific RequirementsCriteria
Relevance of research objectivesDoes the research clearly explore teacher commitment in the context of Chinese higher education?Yes/No
Clarity of study designAre the study design and methods described clearly and understandably?Yes/No
Use of theoretical frameworkIs the research clearly supported by the theoretical framework used?Yes/No
Sample selection and characteristicsIs the sample selection method described clearly? Are the sample characteristics sufficiently detailed?Yes/No
Data collection and analysis methodsAre the data collection and analysis methods described clearly and coherently?Yes/No
Support for conclusionsIs there enough support for the research results?Yes/No
Credibility of the researchAre validation methods used to ensure confidence in the results?Yes/No
Researcher reflexivityDo the researchers discuss the limitations of the study process and findings and directions for future research?Yes/No
Table 5. Study methods and study population.
Table 5. Study methods and study population.
StudyTitleResearch MethodsResearch Sample (n) and Population
1.Core Entrepreneurial Competences of Chinese College Students: Expert Conceptualization Versus Real-Life CasesDelphi method,
case studies		College students
2.How Entrepreneurship Education at Universities Influences Entrepreneurial Intention: Mediating Effect Based on Entrepreneurial CompetenceQuantitative research, questionnaireUndergraduate students
3.A Moderated Mediation Model of Entrepreneurship Education, Competence, and Environmental Dynamics on Entrepreneurial PerformanceQuantitative research,
PLS-SEM		424 college students
4.Enhancing Social Entrepreneurial Competence Amongst University Students: A Social Entrepreneurship Pedagogical Model in Hong KongMixed-method research design133 survey respondents and 11 focus group participants
5.Entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurship policy and entrepreneurial competence: mediating effect of entrepreneurship competition in ChinaQuantitative research12,269 university students
6.Impact of entrepreneurial curriculum on entrepreneurial competencies among students: The mediating role of the campus learning environment in higher educationQuantitative research,
PLS-SEM		Teachers in 6 universities
7.Impact of Entrepreneurship Knowledge Literacy Curriculum on College Graduates’ Sustainable Entrepreneurial Competence Based on Entrepreneurial Learning TheoryQuantitative research200 universities/400 college senior students
8.Impact of experiential learning and social entrepreneurship antecedents on social entrepreneurship competencyQuantitative research384 students
9.Research on the Effect of an Entrepreneurial Environment on College Students’ Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy: The Mediating Effect of Entrepreneurial Competence and Moderating Effect of Entrepreneurial EducationQuantitative research, questionnaire1100 college students from 10 colleges and universities
10.The Application of Rehabilitation Therapy Occupational Competency Evaluation Model in the Improvement of College Students’ Innovation and EntrepreneurshipQualitative research,
in-depth interviews		College students
11.The Impact of Entrepreneurship Competitions on Entrepreneurial Competence of Chinese College StudentsQuantitative research170,764 university students from 31 provinces
Table 6. Factors that influence student entrepreneurial competence.
Table 6. Factors that influence student entrepreneurial competence.
Factors That Influence Student Entrepreneurial CompetenceReferences
Entrepreneurial competitions[3,30,57,62]
Entrepreneurship education[3,56,57,62]
Experiential learning[55,59,60]
Interdisciplinarity[57,59]
Entrepreneurship policies[57]
Teachers[57,60,62]
Entrepreneurial curriculum[60,61]
Entrepreneurial environment[58,60,62]
Morals[61]
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Liu, Y.; Alias, B.S.; Hamid, A.H.A. Student Entrepreneurship Competence and Its Contribution to Sustainable Development: A Systematic Review in the Context of Chinese Higher Education. Sustainability 2025, 17, 3148. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17073148

AMA Style

Liu Y, Alias BS, Hamid AHA. Student Entrepreneurship Competence and Its Contribution to Sustainable Development: A Systematic Review in the Context of Chinese Higher Education. Sustainability. 2025; 17(7):3148. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17073148

Chicago/Turabian Style

Liu, Yue, Bity Salwana Alias, and Aida Hanim A. Hamid. 2025. "Student Entrepreneurship Competence and Its Contribution to Sustainable Development: A Systematic Review in the Context of Chinese Higher Education" Sustainability 17, no. 7: 3148. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17073148

APA Style

Liu, Y., Alias, B. S., & Hamid, A. H. A. (2025). Student Entrepreneurship Competence and Its Contribution to Sustainable Development: A Systematic Review in the Context of Chinese Higher Education. Sustainability, 17(7), 3148. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17073148

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