Academic Stress and Mental Well-Being Among Undergraduate Students: A Scoping Review

Background/Objectives: Academic stress is a recognised threat to the mental health of undergraduate students, and higher stress and psychological distress were reported during the COVID-19 pandemic. This scoping review mapped the global evidence on reported levels and prevalence estimates of academic stress, its associated factors, and related mental health outcomes. Methods: Following PRISMA-ScR and Arksey and O’Malley’s framework, we searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete and Business Source Complete (all via EBSCOhost), PubMed, and Scopus for peer-reviewed quantitative studies published between 2018 and 2024. Eighteen studies were charted and summarised narratively. Results: Most studies reported moderate to high academic stress, although instruments and cut-off values varied widely. In the largest multinational study, 93.7% of first-year students reported at least one major stressor. Female students more often reported higher academic stress, and one study found higher stress and poorer well-being among non-binary students. Higher academic stress was associated with depressive symptoms, anxiety, burnout, and poorer well-being. Conclusions: Academic stress is widely reported among undergraduates and is consistently associated with poorer mental health. Multilevel strategies addressing academic demands, coping skills, and institutional support are evidence-informed priorities that still require longitudinal and intervention evaluation, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-Being) and SDG 4 (Quality Education).