<![CDATA[ABSTRACT Academic pressure experienced by university students is not always addressed by directly resolving the source of the problem; instead, it is often managed through emotional regulation as part of a broader psychological adaptation process. This phenomenon prompted the present study to examine the relationship between emotion-focused coping and academic stress among students of the Guidance and Counseling Study Program at Universitas PGRI Palembang from the 2023–2024 cohorts, while also addressing the limited empirical evidence concerning prospective counselors. A quantitative approach employing a correlational design was implemented, involving 133 students selected from a population of 199 through stratified random sampling. Data were collected using questionnaires that had demonstrated satisfactory validity and reliability, followed by normality testing and Spearman’s Rank correlation analysis with IBM SPSS Statistics because the data did not meet the assumption of normal distribution. The analysis yielded a correlation coefficient of 0.724 with a significance value of 0.000 (p < 0.05), indicating a positive and statistically significant relationship between emotion-focused coping and academic stress. These findings confirm that increased use of emotion-focused coping is associated with students’ efforts to regulate their emotional responses when encountering academic demands rather than reflecting deteriorating psychological conditions. This study contributes empirical evidence to the literature on prospective counselors and provides a practical foundation for developing Guidance and Counseling services aimed at strengthening students’ adaptive emotion-focused coping strategies in managing academic stress. ABSTRAK Tekanan akademik yang dialami mahasiswa tidak selalu direspons melalui upaya menyelesaikan sumber permasalahan secara langsung, tetapi sering kali diwujudkan melalui pengelolaan respons emosional sebagai bagian dari proses adaptasi psikologis. Fenomena tersebut menjadi dasar penelitian ini untuk mengkaji hubungan antara emotion-focused coping dan tingkat stres akademik pada mahasiswa Program Studi Bimbingan dan Konseling Universitas PGRI Palembang angkatan 2023–2024, sekaligus memberikan bukti empiris pada kelompok calon konselor yang masih relatif terbatas dikaji. Penelitian menerapkan pendekatan kuantitatif dengan desain korelasional yang melibatkan 133 mahasiswa, dipilih dari populasi sebanyak 199 mahasiswa melalui teknik stratified random sampling. Data diperoleh menggunakan angket yang telah memenuhi persyaratan validitas dan reliabilitas, kemudian dianalisis secara bertahap melalui uji normalitas dan dilanjutkan dengan uji korelasi Spearman Rank menggunakan IBM SPSS Statistics karena data tidak memenuhi asumsi distribusi normal. Analisis menghasilkan koefisien korelasi sebesar 0,724 dengan nilai signifikansi 0,000 (< 0,05), yang mengindikasikan adanya hubungan positif dan signifikan antara emotion-focused coping dan stres akademik. Temuan ini menegaskan bahwa peningkatan penggunaan emotion-focused coping lebih mencerminkan proses penyesuaian psikologis mahasiswa terhadap tekanan akademik daripada menunjukkan memburuknya kondisi psikologis. Hasil penelitian memberikan landasan konseptual sekaligus praktis bagi pengembangan layanan Bimbingan dan Konseling dalam memperkuat kemampuan coping mahasiswa secara lebih adaptif.]]>
