Social entrepreneurship is a significant instrument for tackling social challenges and for community development, especially among youth who are increasingly driven to make positive social change. Despite increased interest and potential, teenage social entrepreneurs frequently encounter major challenges that can hinder the development, operation, and growth of social initiatives, hindering their effect. This study explores the perceived barriers to social entrepreneurship among university students in Malaysia. A survey was conducted with 150 respondents who were enrolled in an entrepreneurship course. The study employed a mixed-method approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data to gain a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing students’ entrepreneurial intentions. The results show that lack of financial resources, business expertise, fear of stress and failure, job stability, networking skills, and government policies and legal frameworks are major impediments to entrepreneurship. Hence, by addressing these hurdles via focused interventions like financing, entrepreneurship education, and support networks may assist Malaysian university students create a more robust entrepreneurial ecosystem.