Background <p>This study examines the innovative roles of emotion regulation (ER) and cognitive flexibility (CF) as mediators in the association between cooperative learning (CL) and social skills among university students. Although prior research has investigated CL or social skills in isolation, limited studies have analyzed the concurrent mediation of this connection by ER and CF.</p> Methods <p>A cross-sectional survey was executed with 502 university students in Shandong, China, chosen by stratified random sampling. Participants administered the Social Skills Inventory, Cooperative Learning Application Scale, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and Cognitive Flexibility Inventory. Data were examined utilizing Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to investigate direct and indirect effects.</p> Results <p>Cooperative learning markedly improved students’ social competencies. Both emotional regulation and cognitive flexibility partially mediated this association, with cognitive load cooperative learning enhancing emotional sensitivity and emotion regulation, while cognitive flexibility affected social sensitivity and expressiveness.</p> Conclusions <p>The integration of emotional regulation and cognitive flexibility in educational curricula promotes the efficacy of cooperative learning, fostering emotional and social abilities. These findings offer practical insights for educators and policymakers to create organized interventions that promote whole student development.</p>