Objective: To investigate the current status, characteristics, and influencing factors of college students’ cognition of legal risks in romantic relationships. Methods: A questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews were adopted. A total of 384 valid questionnaires were collected and 60 students were interviewed. Results: The questionnaire survey showed that only 15.1% of the respondents considered legal risks in romantic relationships; female students were 2.09 times more likely to consider such risks than male students (p < 0.05). Interview analysis revealed an overall cognition rate of 21.7%. Female students paid more attention to personal safety risks, while male students focused more on property risks. Students in ambiguous dating stages or stable romantic relationships showed significantly higher levels of legal risk cognition than other groups. Conclusion: College students’ cognition of legal risks in romantic relationships is generally at a low level with significant gender differences. Emotional status influences risk cognition through “depth of interaction”, and the sources of risk cognition show a “non-professional” characteristic. Universities should strengthen education on legal risks in romantic relationships and promote the integration of legal awareness into affective education systems.