Academic self-efficacy defined as the judgement of the learner about their capability to attain educational goals is a central concept that has been extensively studied within the academic context. Academic self-efficacy has manifested strong correlations with academic performance, academic motivation, academic procrastination, and self-esteem (Zheng, 2024). However, academic self-efficacy, despite its importance for university students, remains an under-explored theme in the Indian context. We investigate the mediating role of emotional regulation in the relationship between academic passion and academic self-efficacy among university students. We used Academic Passion Scale (Vallerand et al., 2003), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Gross & John, 2003), and General Academic Self-efficacy Scale (Nielsen et al., 2018) to collect data from university sophomores. Following the cross-sectional paradigm, a total of 164 student participants filled the google forms circulated in exchange for course credits. We used structural equation modeling on the data set for interpreting the results. Our findings indicated that passion has a significant influence on academic self-efficacy with emotion regulation acting as a mediator. The current research tested a new pathway to understand development of academic self-efficacy of university students. The findings provide practical guidance for teaching strategies and support service, including suggestions and useful directions for university policies, student counseling, and curriculum planning.