Purpose: This study aims to develop and test a conceptual model of business students' intention to establish a start-up business that involves attitude, perceived behavioral control (PBC), entrepreneurial competence, financial access, lecture service quality, curriculum program, extracurricular activity and institutional support simultaneously. Design/methodology/approach: An online survey was performed. The respondents were 196 business students in a private university in Indonesia. The data were analyzed using partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings: Business students' intention to establish a start-up business was positively and significantly influenced by attitude and PBC. PBC was positively and significantly influenced by entrepreneurial competence and financial access. Attitude and entrepreneurial competence were positively and significantly influenced by curriculum program and extracurricular activity, but not influenced by lecture service quality and institutional support. Financial access was positively and significantly influenced by extracurricular activity and institutional support. Research limitations/implications: This research was conducted in a private university in Indonesia. Therefore, to test the stability of the research findings and the proposed conceptual model, it is necessary to conduct research in different contexts. Originality/value: Research on the intention to establish a start-up business that simultaneously considers attitude, PBC, entrepreneurial competence, financial access, lecture service quality, curriculum program, extracurricular activity and institutional support is still scarce in the literature. This study addressed the gap.