Background: Academic risk taking (ART) is a type of learning-beneficial student engagement with a risk of making errors. Students for example respond to questions during seminars, even though they are not sure about the correctness of their answer. Next to a trait-component, ART is assumed to have a state component which can change depending on the context. Aims: In this study, we explore whether students’ ART differs by seminar belonging, and whether teaching quality explains these differences. Additionally, we consider the association between students’ goal orientation and ART. Sample: For this purpose, a sample of 381 university students nested in 38 seminars and instructors was acquired. Methods: Data was analyzed following a two-level structural equation modeling approach. Results: We find significant differences in students’ ART by seminar group, explaining between 11.0% and 16.3% of variance. Reproduction orientation in teaching seems to discourage ART. Conclusions: Our results contribute to an understanding of the multidimensional dynamics of teaching and learning, and offer implications for teaching quality development.