<p>The study aims to investigate whether social intelligence had a mediating role in the relationship between altruism and social entrepreneurship characteristics of pre-service teachers. The participants of the research consisted of 385 pre-service teachers studying in four higher education institutions in the Eastern Black Sea region of Türkiye in the fall semester of the 2023–2024 academic year. The research data were collected by using altruism scale, Tromsø social intelligence scale, and social entrepreneurship characteristics of pre-service teachers scale. The study, which was designed in correlational survey model, employed structural equation analysis to test the mediating role of social intelligence in the relationship between altruism and social entrepreneurship characteristics. Sub-dimensions of social entrepreneurship characteristics of pre-service teachers scale had a significant and positive relationship with sub-dimensions of altruism scale, and Tromsø social intelligence scale. The structural equation model tested to determine the mediating role of social intelligence in the relationship between altruism and social entrepreneurship characteristics of pre-service teachers was found to be statistically significant and met compliance criteria.</p>