Learning in higher institution is a challenging situation. Students may adapt well to the new academic environment or might experience failure in coping with the demand of real-life learning. In most of the time, they would be physically and emotionally drained. Hence, this study investigated students in public higher learning institution on managing their emotional intelligence and self-efficacy towards their academic performance in such setting. A total of 150 valid questionnaires were collected in a public university in Selangor, Malaysia using purposive sampling method. The Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (ASE) and Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) instruments were used. In order to achieve the study's objective, the data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Studies (SPSS) for its descriptive analyses, t-test and Pearson correlation analyses. It was found that there is a significant relationship between students' emotional intelligence and academic performance, self-efficacy based on academic performance and there is a relationship between students' emotional intelligence and academic self-efficacy. It is vital to investigate this area of study as it would affect this tertiary students' performance in their studying years. � 2020 by authors.