Due to the numerous academic and clinical requirements, nursing students have been noted to experience stress. These students have adopted various forms of coping behaviors. This descriptive-correlational study aimed to examine the influence of adaptive coping behavior of nursing students on their stress level. The study also measured the extent of stress and adaptive coping behaviors of nursing students. One hundred nursing students from level 2 and level 3 of the College of Nursing of the Adventist University of the Philippines (AUP) were conveniently sampled to answer a self-constructed survey questionnaire. The statistical treatments used were the central tendency of the mean and standard deviation, T’Test, and Pearson Correlation to address the research questions. Results revealed that the nursing students have a high-stress level and a corresponding high adaptive coping behavior. There exists a small positive significant relationship between adaptive coping behavior and stress. The coping behaviors of the nursing students showed a significant difference in terms of the year of study and the residential status. Furthermore, a significant difference was found in the stress and coping behavior of nursing students. The study revealed that the nursing students’ high-stress level is a result of the examination and workload. The preferred adaptive coping behavior was transference by listening to music. The female nursing students were identified to be more stressed than males. It is therefore recommended that the implementation of an effective stress management program for nursing students in AUP should encompass problem-solving, emotional aspect, and optimism.