30-item measure of stressful life events specific to college and university students. ≈ 5 min to complete. Free with attribution.
SUS (Student Stress Scale) is a validated clinical instrument used to assess 30-item measure of stressful life events specific to college and university students.. It is most often used for 30-item measure of stressful life events specific to college and university students.. The instrument contains 10 items. Typical administration time is ≈ 5 min.
Source / attribution: Free to use with citation
30-item measure of stressful life events specific to college and university students. SUS is part of standard practice in this setting because it provides a structured, replicable assessment that can be tracked over time and compared across patients or visits.
Like all screening or assessment instruments, SUS is a structured aid — not a diagnostic test in isolation. Results should be interpreted alongside history, examination, and clinical context. Where a score crosses an actionable threshold, the next step is typically a more detailed clinical evaluation rather than a definitive diagnosis.
Answer all 10 items below to see your SUS score and interpretation.
Each item is scored on a 5-point scale (1–5). Your score updates live as you answer.
All scoring runs in your browser. No data is sent anywhere — close the tab and the answers are gone.
Count endorsed events weighted by severity. Total range 0-1000+. Higher scores = greater cumulative stress.
Scoring notes: Count endorsed events weighted by severity. Total range 0-1000+. Higher scores = greater cumulative stress.
The cutoffs below are drawn from the published validation literature. Always interpret in clinical context.
| Score range | Band | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| 0–150 | Low stress | None |
| 151–300 | Moderate stress | Coping strategies |
This is an illustrative walkthrough, not a real patient. Follow the same four steps with your own answers — or use the live calculator at the top of this page.
Read each question and choose the response that best fits. Each response has a number next to it — that number is the item's score. The example below uses illustrative answers.
| # | Item | Example response | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I think I would like to use this system frequently | Strongly agree | 5 |
| 2 | I found the system unnecessarily complex | Strongly disagree | 5 |
| 3 | I thought the system was easy to use | Strongly agree | 5 |
| 4 | I think I would need the support of a technical person to use this system | Strongly disagree | 5 |
| 5 | I found the various functions in this system were well integrated | Strongly agree | 5 |
| 6 | I thought there was too much inconsistency in this system | Strongly disagree | 5 |
| 7 | I would imagine that most people would learn to use this system very quickly | Strongly agree | 5 |
| 8 | I found the system very cumbersome to use | Strongly disagree | 5 |
| 9 | I felt very confident using the system | Strongly agree | 5 |
| 10 | I needed to learn a lot of things before I could get going with this system | Strongly disagree | 5 |
Add up all the item scores you noted in Step 1.
5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 5 = 50
Find the row in the interpretation table whose range contains your total:
Total = 50 falls between 0 and 150 → Low stress
Low stress. None
A score is one input alongside history and examination. SUS supports clinical judgment — it does not replace it.
Psychometric figures are drawn from the validation literature and may vary across clinical populations and translations.
If SUS doesn't fit your context, related instruments in academic include:
| Scale | Measures | Items | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| SRBA | 20-item measure of student attitudes toward research and research self-efficacy. | 20 | ≈ 5 min |
| PHQ-9 | Severity of depression | 9 | ≈ 3 minutes |
| GAD-7 | Severity of generalized anxiety | 7 | ≈ 2 minutes |
| AUDIT | 10-item WHO screening tool for hazardous alcohol consumption and dependence. | 10 | ≈ 3 min |
| CHA2DS2-VASc | Annual stroke risk in non-valvular atrial fibrillation | 8 | — |
| Glasgow Coma Scale | Level of consciousness after head injury | 3 | — |
| MELD-Na | 3-month mortality in advanced liver disease; transplant prioritization | 5 | — |
SUS (Student Stress Scale) is a validated instrument that assesses 30-item measure of stressful life events specific to college and university students.. Its primary clinical use is 30-item measure of stressful life events specific to college and university students..
SUS typically takes ≈ 5 min to administer. Time can vary slightly depending on whether it is self-administered or clinician-led.
SUS contains 10 items. Items are summed to produce a total score.
Scores of 151–300 fall in the "Moderate stress" band. Coping strategies
Scores of 0–150 fall in the "Low stress" band. None
SUS has reported Cronbach's α of 0.85 in validation samples and test–retest reliability of 0.8. Student-specific life event stress measure.
SUS is free to use with attribution. Free to use with citation
Feldt, R. C. (2008). Development of the Student Stress Scale. Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development, 40(4), 178-186.
No. SUS is a structured assessment aid. A score is one input alongside history, examination, and clinical context. Treatment decisions should never rest on a screening score alone.
SUS is supported by the following peer-reviewed sources: