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Universities provide entrepreneurship-specific education (ESE) to equip students with the alertness and risk-taking skills required to pursue entrepreneurial careers. This study explores links between ESE participation, alertness and risk-taking general human capital skills, and the intensity of entrepreneurial intention relating to becoming an entrepreneur. We integrate insights from human capital theory with views from social feminist theory and socially learned stereotypes theory. This study challenges the view that ESE generates equal benefits for both female and male students. Business students taking part in ESE were compared with engineering students not taking part in ESE. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that ESE students reported high intensity of intention. However, female ESE students were significantly less likely to report high intensity of intention. Female ESE students citing alertness skills were more likely to report high intensity of intention than female non-ESE students. Both male ESE and non-ESE students citing risk perception skills reported higher intention. Female ESE students citing risk perception skills reported lower intention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]