Reframing Impact in Extra-Curricular Entrepreneurship Education

Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Education (EEE) in higher education increasingly spans the blurred boundaries between formal curricula, extra-curricular activity, and incubation spaces. While extra-curricular enterprise and entrepreneurship education (ExEEE) is valued for its flexibility and responsiveness, its impact remains under-conceptualised and inconsistently evidenced. This paper examines how impact in ExEEE emerges, for whom, and under what conditions across stakeholders, institutional contexts, and educator roles. Rather than asking whether it “works,” the study explores how students and educators experience and define impact, highlighting tensions and enabling conditions at the university’s boundaries. Using a modified Delphi approach and iterative focus groups with educators (academics, practitioners, influencers) and students, the study develops a stakeholder-informed framework for understanding impact beyond learner outcomes. Findings show that impact is multi-dimensional, unevenly distributed, and shaped by identity, power, and institutional recognition, offering a more nuanced basis for assessing and communicating the value of ExEEE.