Academic workload has become a crucial problem encountered by the undergraduate students enrolled at universities all around the world. The tasks of university students; these include writing essays, making presentations, appearing for tests, doing group projects, conducting lab experiments, and doing research within a certain period of time. Even though it is important for the intellectual development and performance of the students to do such academic tasks, it can also negatively affect the psychological well-being of the students. This research seeks to identify how academic workload affects the stress levels and work-life balance of students. The sources of students' stress consist of rigorous courses, examination pressure, difficulty in time management, high expectations of teachers and parents, and involvement in the labor market. The effects of stress on the academic achievement of students, their social behavior, motivational states, sleep, and mental health status will be discussed. Three sociological perspectives, Functionalism, Conflict theory, and Symbolic interactionism, are utilized in studying the topic. To gather data related to the topic under study, a survey questionnaire approach has been used. Furthermore, six research studies regarding academic stress and work-life balance have been analyzed. It is revealed from the results that the major source of stress among students is the rigorous academic workload. Academic pressure affected their health, particularly during examinations, according to most of the students. The findings of this study reveal that universities should provide counseling, flexible support system, stress management techniques, and psychological programs for their students. It is, therefore, important for the students to know how to organize their time and deal with stressful situations.
Alshehhi et al. (Tue,) studied this question.