www.theinternationaljournal.org > RJCBS: Volume: 03, Number: 11, September-2014 Page 35 Stress among Students: A Comparison between Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students Divya Sharma (Research Scholar) & Ambalika Sinha (Associate Professor,DHSS,MNNIT) ABSTRACT Stress is normal and it can help a student keep track of his tasks but it only becomes a deterrent to good life when it gets in the way of living a healthy lifestyle. Youngsters today are experiencing high levels of stress. The sources of stress are diverse for youngsters in different age levels. Among 13-17 year old, academics is by far most commonly mentioned source. Among 18-24 old, it is jobs and financial matters. Academic and career related pressures are ruining the life of young people. An average teenager today wants excel in school, perform well in sports, keep up with the latest trends and choose the right higher education stream. Youngsters in their 20’s want a well paid job, they want saving for buying assets and also want to choose the right life partner. Added to this is the pressure to try and meet the expectations of the parents. This study attempted to find the level of stress among the post and under graduate students , which group of student face more stress. It was found thatunder graduate students have higher level of stress as compared to post graduate students. Keywords: Stress level, Students stress level, Academic stresses INTRODUCTION Stress has become a major concern of modern times as it can cause harm to ‘persons’ health and performance. In simple words, stress refers to pressures or tensions people feel .as living human makes constant demands, so it produced pressure that is stress .stress is therefore, a natural and unavoidable feature of human life (chhabra, 2001). Stress is your body's way of responding to any kind of demand. It can be caused by both good and bad experiences. When people feel stressed by something going on around them, their bodies react by releasing chemicals into the blood. Stress is simply defined as "a factor that creates a mental, emotional, or physical strain." It is "a state of unresolved tension arising from the pressures, irritations, and demands of life. Selyes defined stress as “the non-specific response of the body to any demand made upon it”. R.S. Schuler viewed stress as a dynamic condition in which an individual is confronted with opportunity, constraint or demand related to what he desires and for which the outcomes is perceived to be both uncertain and important. Stress is a normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or upset your balance in some way. When you sense danger – whether it’s real or imagined – the body's defenses kick into high gear .The stress response is the body’s way of protecting you. When working properly, it helps you stay focused, energetic, and alert. In emergency situations, stress can save your life – giving you extra strength to defend yourself. The stress response also helps you rise to meet challenges. Stress is what keeps you on your toes during a presentation at work, sharpens your concentration when you’re attempting the game-winning free throw, or drives you to study for an exam when you'd rather be watching TV. But beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts causing major damage to your health, your mood, your productivity, your relationships, and your quality of life. The situations and pressures that cause stress are known as stressors. We usually think of stressors as being negative, such as an exhausting work schedule or a rocky relationship. However, anything that puts high demands on you or forces you to adjust can be stressful. This includes positive events such as getting married, buying a house, going to college, or receiving a promotion. What