BACKGROUND: Cultural competence is an important concept for nursing students, educational interventions are important for enhancing cultural competence among nursing students and literature indicates varied effectiveness in this regard. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of an educational intervention based on the Campinha-Bacote model on cultural competence of undergraduate nursing students. METHODS: For this experimental study a total of 88 third-semester undergraduate nursing students were selected from a nursing school in Tehran, Iran, in 2024. These students had community health nursing courses and were in two classes. A class was randomly assigned for each group by lottery method. The intervention group participated in a four-week educational intervention based on the Campinha-Bacote model. Two groups completed a demographic questionnaire and the Cultural Capacity Scale before, immediately, and one month after the intervention. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential methods. RESULTS: The two groups were similar in terms of most demographic characteristics, cultural competence, and its domains (cultural knowledge, cultural sensitivity, and cultural skills) before the intervention (p >
0.05). Immediately and one month after the intervention cultural competence and its domains were higher in the intervention group than in the control group. Furthermore, in the mixed repeated measures ANOVA, the interaction effect of time and group was significant for cultural competence, cultural knowledge, and cultural sensitivity (p <
0.05), indicating that changes in these variables over time differed between the groups, suggesting a positive effect of the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study indicated that the educational intervention based on the Campinha-Bacote model can improve cultural competence and its domains among undergraduate nursing students. Future research can be focused on more specific educational interventions based on the needs of nursing students, and culturally diverse clients with real-life experiences for the students in different clinical settings. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: Not applicable.