The relationship between sleep quality, stress and academic performance in university students. College students are renowned for their suboptimal sleep habits and high levels of stress, and it is estimated that approximately 27% of students report suffering from sleep-related disorders (Gaultney, 2010). Sleep is an essential biological function that aids recovery, learning, and memory consolidation (Walker & Stickgold, 2004). Lack of quality sleep is believed to have a strong relationship with a number of negative consequences that include increased stress levels, psychological disorders, and reduced academic performance (Fortunato & Harsh, 2006; Marhefka, 2011). The relationship between stress and sleep quality is believed to be bidirectional, meaning that stress influences sleep quality and vice versa (Lund et al. 2010). Stress can be a behavioral or psychological reaction characterized by internal turmoil that has the potential to impair the functioning of daily life. Even in minor forms, stress has the potential to reduce cognitive function, judgment, and intuition, all of which are considered essential to a student's success (Arnsten & Shansky, 2004). College factors that can influence stress levels can stem from homework deadlines, failure to understand concepts, and moratorium on the future. For the purposes of this study stress will be measured as high or low according to the DASS-21 (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1994). The university environment is undoubtedly competitive and this has the potential to place great pressure on students to succeed. This pressure can often result in stress due to the impact a student's grades can have on their acceptance into a postgraduate program... halfway through the paper... the literature seems to indicate an interdimensional relationship between performance, quality of sleep and stress. However, a concern in the literature is the lack of follow-up and, to my knowledge, no studies have focused on academic performance, sleep quality and stress with an Australian university sample. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between sleep quality, stress and academic performance and to determine which is the best predictor of academic performance using an Australian university sample. It has been hypothesized that there will be a strong correlation between sleep quality and stress. It was also hypothesized that higher stress levels were associated with lower GPA scores. Finally, it was hypothesized that there will be a difference between high-stress individuals and low-stress individuals on academic performance.