Substance use is prevalent among university students, yet only a subset of individuals develops problematic patterns of use. Cue-driven behaviour, as measured by Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT), has been implicated in addiction. Impulsivity is also considered a risk factor for maladaptive substance use. The present study investigates whether individual differences in PIT predict self-reported addiction risk and whether impulsivity moderates this relationship in a student population. Thirty-six students (28 females, 9 males; age M = 22.02, SD = 2.38, range = 18–26), completed a PIT task assessing outcome-specific and general PIT effects, along with questionnaires measuring addiction risk (Screener for Substance and Behavioural Addictions, SSBA) and impulsivity (Short UPPS-P , SUPPS-P). Contrary to hypotheses, neither outcome-specific nor general PIT significantly predicted addiction risk, and impulsivity did not moderate these relationships. Exploratory analyses further showed that responding to devalued outcomes was not associated with addiction risk. However, impulsivity was statistically positively associated with addiction risk independently of cue- driven behaviour. These findings suggest that in non-clinical student populations, impulsivity may serve as a more consistent early risk factor for substance-related problems than cue- driven behaviour. The results highlight the importance of distinguishing between clinical and non-clinical populations when examining mechanisms underlying addiction risk and underscore the potential value of early identification and intervention based on individual differences in impulsivity.