Background:
This study examined university students’ awareness, interest, and willingness to have cancer genetic testing to guide future prevention and implementation efforts.

Material and methods:
A cross-sectional online survey included 446 university students in Kosovo. The study assessed awareness of cancer-related genetic testing, interest in learning about actionable inherited cancer risk factors, and willingness to undergo testing. Associations with sociodemographic variables were examined using chi-square tests.

Results:
The participants showed moderate awareness of cancer genetic testing. Students at private universities were more aware than those at public universities (62.2% vs. 44.6%; p=0.001). Most students (87.7%) were interested in learning about inherited cancer risks, with women showing more interest than men (p=0.013). Willingness to be tested under ideal conditions was also high (87.5%). There were no significant links between outcomes and age, residence, income, household size, health insurance, having a family doctor, or perceived cancer risk.

Conclusions:
Although awareness was moderate, university students showed high interest and strong willingness to have hereditary cancer genetic testing, suggesting significant unmet demand. These results highlight the need for targeted education, more genetic counseling, clear referral systems, and better clinical infrastructure to include cancer genetic services in national prevention and early detection plans, with a focus on fair access.