The present study was conducted to find out the effect of academic stress on achievement motivation of college students. 50 college students of various professional, arts, and science colleges functioning in and around Puducherry were approached at random to collect data using purposive sampling method. Academic stress scale developed and standardized by Rajendran and Kaliappan (1990) and Achievement Motivation Scale by Pratibha Deo and Asha Mohan (1985) were used for data collection. The collected data were statistically analysed using 't' test and one way ANOVA. The findings revealed that moderate stress leads to high achievement motivation.