Self-esteem is an important factor in the teaching-learning process in nursing students. However, it could be negatively affected by academic stress, which consists of stressors agents, symptoms of stress and coping strategies. The objective of the study was to determine the relationship between academic stress and self-esteem in said population. It is a descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional investigation. The sample was 126 nursing students from first to fifth year of studies at the National University of San Agustín de Arequipa, Peru; the sampling was stratified probabilistic; Two instruments were applied: The Academic Stress Inventory and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Results shows that the academic stress increases and the self-esteem decrease determined as the studies progress; Likewise, most of the students perceive high levels of stressors, more than half show symptoms of moderate level stress; while most employ intermediate level coping strategies. It is concluded, that academic stress is inversely related to self-esteem in nursing students, a fact that must be taken into account in the training of nurses.