Fostering students’ preparedness to undertake research, especially as a career pursuit, is a strategic priority in higher education, yet given global instability, its development remains precarious. This study examined comparatively Student Research Engagement Readiness (SRER) among Ukrainian humanities and sciences university students, and how it translated into career intentions. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was employed with 255 final-year undergraduate and graduate students. Quantitative data were collected using the validated SRER scale and analyzed through independent samples t-tests, chi-square tests, simple linear regression, and mediation modeling. The data were further triangulated with a reflexive thematic analysis of students’ accounts of research-related barriers and proposed institutional improvements.
Results revealed discipline-dependent readiness profiles, where humanities students self-reported higher motivation and fewer barriers, while research self-efficacy and behavioral involvement showed stronger cross-disciplinary consistency. A readiness stratification effect was observed, with science students underrepresented in the highest readiness category. SRER was a positive predictor of research career intentions, explaining a sizeable proportion of variance in students’ aspirations. Moreover, self-efficacy mediated the link between barriers and career intentions, where fewer difficulties predicted higher self-efficacy, which in turn led to stronger career aspirations. In terms of institutional improvement, qualitative findings underscored the salience of communication, instructional support, incentives, mentoring, and infrastructure. Overall, research career aspirations emerge from the interplay between cognitive resources, disciplinary environments, and institutional affordances. Bolstering students’ self-beliefs appears pivotal in pre-empting the detrimental effects of barriers and fostering research career intentions.