Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the entrepreneurial intentions of international university students by applying the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). This paper presents a model that considers personal, social and environmental factors that potentially influence students' intentions to become entrepreneurs. Design/methodology/approach An extension of the TPB was proposed, including two additional constructs: entrepreneurial skills and university education. The target population of the study was national and international university students enroled in different universities. A validated survey (n = 276) was used to collect the data. Structural equation modelling was used to test the hypotheses and the relationships between variables. Findings Students are more likely to acquire entrepreneurial skills through effective education and training. Entrepreneurial skills play a significant role in explaining entrepreneurial intentions because it is assumed that knowledge and training make people highly skilled. This raises people's propensity to start a business. Originality/value This study makes a unique contribution to the literature by considering the role of entrepreneurial skills that are commonly acquired at university. The primary conclusions relate to the acquisition of entrepreneurial skills within the university environment. These conclusions are of interest to practitioners and policymakers.