The years spent at university are often known as “the greatest years of our lives” considering the fact that students learn and experience new things and meet new people from different cultures. Being a university student is a fascinating experience.

However, there are numerous challenges present at university, particularly for undergraduate students. Conversely, university may be the most stressful years of their lives. Psychological stress is a common issue and ongoing process among university students. Typically, ‘stress is the body’s response to a challenge’ . Stress is defined in various ways since each individual reacts to it differently. It is generally defined as ‘the negative reaction that people have when facing extreme pressure and demand placed on them’ . Maintaining academic success is a major factor affecting stress among students.

Nevertheless, there are also non-academic aspects which highly influence stress, which include; building a social life, dealing with homesickness, adapting to cultural differences, and sustaining finance. Stress amongst university students is gaining high significance and continuous researches are being conducted in order to help reduce its effect on learning. This paper will specifically identify the elements of stress which are specific to university students arising from various factors and discussing its harmful impact on students’ academic performance. Specifically, obtaining academic success, homesickness, and cultural shock.

Furthermore, an evaluation of four chief strategies on how to overcome stress will be conducted, such as; therapeutic and entertaining methods involving social groups. This essay will then conclude by recommending the most suitable solutions for stress reduction.