Entrepreneurship education has gained significant attention from scholars and policymakers for its potential to shape students' entrepreneurial aspirations. However, its effectiveness in influencing entrepreneurial intentions remains inconsistent and controversial. Drawing on social cognitive theory, we investigated the curvilinear impact of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial intentions, examining the mediating role of entrepreneurial passion and the moderating role of resilience. We conducted two studies to test these relationships. In Study 1, data from 554 technology students in Vietnamese universities revealed a U-shaped relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intentions. Study 2 expanded these findings with a sample of 721 business students from Vietnamese universities. The results confirmed the mediating role of entrepreneurial passion in the curvilinear relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intentions and showed that resilience significantly moderated the link between entrepreneurial passion and intentions. This research contributes to the literature by addressing existing gaps and highlighting key factors influencing entrepreneurial intentions. It also offers practical implications for educators and policymakers, providing insights to design more effective entrepreneurship education programs to enhance students' entrepreneurial intentions and foster a vibrant and innovative entrepreneurial ecosystem.