Introduction: Higher education institutions (HEIs) are responsible for training professionals capable of integrating sustainability into their respective disciplines and professional practice. Objective: This study examines the effect of curricular experience with sustainability elements on sustainable consciousness (knowingness, attitude, and behavior) among higher education students in Chile. Method: A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional design was used. A total of 759 students from a public university in northern Chile participated. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM) were applied to validate the instrument and test the hypotheses. Results: The structural model showed a good fit: χ² (199) = 561.824, CFI = 0.95, TLI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.049, SRMR = 0.054. Curricular emphasis was positively associated with knowingness (β = 0.38, p<.001), attitude (β = 0.38, p<.001), and sustainable behavior (β = 0.45, p<.001). However, instructional practice had a negative and significant effect on attitude (β = −0.12, p<.05) and was not significant for knowingness (β = −0.05, p>.05) or behavior (β = 0.07, p>.05). Discussion: Curricular emphasis is associated with higher levels of sustainable consciousness, whereas classroom instruction alone does not guarantee positive results in attitudes. Practical implications and limitations are presented.