The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between basic psychological needs—including autonomy, competence, and relatedness—and the factors predicting resilience among urban planning and architecture students in Tehran. The research employed a descriptive–analytical design and was applied in nature. The statistical population consisted of 270 undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students of urban planning and architecture, selected through stratified random sampling. Data were collected using the CYRM-28 Psychological Resilience Questionnaire and the Basic Psychological Needs Scale. The data were analyzed through structural equation modeling using SmartPLS 4 software. The results indicated that the psychological needs model adequately explained the variance of the resilience variable (MOD FIT CIF = 0.99). Basic psychological needs had a positive and significant effect on attentional resilience (β = 0.312), individual resilience (β = 0.415), and contextual resilience (β = 0.301). All relationships were significant at p < 0.001. These findings demonstrated that satisfying the needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness plays a crucial role in enhancing students’ resilience. Accordingly, Self-Determination Theory (SDT) provides a valid framework for predicting resilience based on the fulfillment of basic psychological needs. The results suggest that focusing on the satisfaction of psychological needs within educational environments can improve adaptability, motivation, and psychological stability among urban planning and architecture students when facing academic stressors.