In response to the increasing number of natural disasters worldwide, understanding the disaster preparedness of civil engineering students becomes essential for societal resilience. This study investigates the relationships between socio-demographic factors, disaster awareness and pre-paredness levels among civil engineering students. It also aims to provide insights that could potentially inform and improve disaster response strategies, thereby contributing to the development of a more resilient society. This cross-sectional study, conducted from September 25, 2023, to January 5, 2024, involved civil engineering students at Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University. Data were collected via an online survey on Google Forms, which included socio-demographic questions and the General Disaster Preparedness Belief Scale. The collected data were analyzed to assess students’ socio-demographic characteristics, their disaster preparedness levels, and the relationships between these variables. Lastly, a linear regression model was applied to evaluate the effect of independent variables on the General Disaster Preparedness score. The study included 220 participants, with 77.7% male and 22.3% female, and an average age of 22 years. Notably, 37.3% of participants reported prior experience with disasters. The participants exhibited an average total score of 110.59 (±15.38), with scores ranging from 67 to 151. The key factors affecting disaster preparedness score were found to be gender (p<0.001), maternal education level (p=0.026), type of residence (p=0.007), prior disaster experience (p=0.007), experiencing the 6 February 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquakes (p=0.020), feeling prepared for a disaster (p=0.033), having a disaster/emergency kit (p<0.001), receiving emergency/disaster education (p=0.046), and knowledge of the emergency assembly points in the participants’ area (p=0.005). This study represents the first comprehensive investigation into the general disaster preparedness beliefs of civil engineering students, specifically examining the impact of socio-demographic factors and prior disaster experiences on their preparedness perceptions. The results of the study reveal that, despite being above average, the students’ General Disaster Preparedness Belief level is still considered inadequate. These results underscore the importance of targeted educational interventions for disaster preparedness, particularly in university settings, and the critical role of students in disaster preparedness and mitigation strategies, which is crucial for building future resilience.