Purpose: The paper aims to propose a mediation moderated model to examine the influence of academic reliance on students' intellectual engagement. Design/methodology/approach: Four hundred and seventy-one respondents who completed a self-reported questionnaire were chosen to participate in the study using a convenient sampling technique. The hypotheses were tested using PLSc. Findings: Findings from the study reveal academic resilience and academic diligence positively predicts students' intellectual engagement. Academic diligence positively predicts students' intellectual engagement and further mediates the effect of academic resilience on intellectual engagement. Finally, learning support positively predicts intellectual engagement and further moderates the effect of the association between academic resilience and academic diligence on intellectual engagement. Practical implications: This research shows that higher education administrators must establish effective and efficient policies that integrate students' academic resilience, academic diligence and learning assistance. Originality/value: This paper is amongst the first to have tested a model including resilience, academic diligence, intellectual engagement and learning support in a university setup from a developing country perspective.