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Background Undergraduate nursing students experience high levels of stress during their programs. The literature on their stress is extensive, however, what is less well-known are the specific sources of stresses for students in different years of study.Purpose The aim of this study is to understand nursing students’ sources of stress and coping strategies in each year of study.Method A transversal descriptive qualitative study was used. A sample of 26 undergraduate students attending a university in Montreal, Canada were recruited and participated in a semi-structured interview. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.Results The sources of stress differed according to year of study and related significantly to the specific novelty of that year. For first-year students, their stress was related to their academic courses. High clinical performance expectations and a lack of time for their personal lives was a main source of stress for second-year students. The prospect of graduating and transitioning into the work environment caused stress for students in their final year. Students across all years of study utilized similar coping strategies.Conclusion The findings suggest that interventions can be developed to address the sources of stress experienced by nursing students in each year of study.