Background: The phenomenon that researchers found at one of Indonesia's private universities in the western part of the Faculty of Nursing in 2019 first-year students using the Perception of Academic Stress Scale (PAS) questionnaire found nine out of 10 students experiencing moderate academic stress, and one student experiencing academic stress light. In the second year of class 2018, using the same questionnaire, eight out of 10 students experienced moderate academic stress, and the other two experienced mild academic stress. Objective: To determine the stress level and coping mechanism of first and second year nursing students. Method: This research uses descriptive research method with cross sectional approach. The sample in this study amounted to 339 students, consisting of first-year and secondyear students. The instruments in this study used the Perception of Academic Stress Scale (PAS) questionnaire and the Brief-COPE questionnaire. The analysis technique used is Univariate to see a picture of stress levels and coping mechanisms in first and second year students. Results: the results of research conducted on first and second year students, the results obtained the majority of first and second year students experiencing moderate stress with factors that affect academic expectations and coping mechanisms that are owned are adaptive coping.