This study aimed at examining the type of relationship that exists between physiological stress and the academic achievement of biology students in Nigerian universities. A stress scale was used to assess the amount of stress perceived by each respondent in a semester and their Grade Point Average in that same semester was used to measure their academic achievement. Correlation computation between the stress scale score and the Grade Point Average revealed that the amount of stress the surveyed students perceived was not significantly correlated with their Grade point average. r = -.088. The study also aimed at determining the ten major sources of stress for biology students. A list of twenty sources of stress was presented before the respondents and they were asked to choose which sources of stress had impacted negatively on their Grade Point Average in the said semester. It was discovered that biology students perceive more stress from their academics with inadequate laboratory facilities ranking the highest source of stress, closely followed by heavy academic workload;, few practical classes; boring practical classes; not getting enough sleep; unclear assignments; duality of responsibility; finance; class attendance and lastly examination anxiety. It was concluded that although biology students experience stress from time to time, effective stress management technique and coping strategies is the key to reducing its impact on their academic performance. Furthermore, the university management should also orientate the teaching staffs in Biology Department on the importance of providing a conducive learning environment for the students, thereby reducing the amount of stress they perceive from their academics.

Keyword: stress, biology students, academic achievement, Nigerian Universities

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