This study was conducted to investigate the factors affecting stress before clinical practice among nursing students. The subjects of the study were surveyed on third-grade students who were about to undergo their first clinical practice. The data collection period was from December 22, 2023 to January 10, 2024, with a total of 191 nursing students. The instruments used for this study were Perceived stress scale(Pss), Self-leadership, and Global Interpersonal Communication Competency(GICC) scale. The data were analyzed by t-tests, ANOVA, Scheffé test, Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple regression using SPSS/WIN 21.0. The results of the study showed a negative correlation with self-leadership(r=-.29, p=<.001) and interpersonal communication competence(r=-.40, p=<.001). In the stepwise multiple regression analysis, it was found that the stress levels of nursing students before clinical practice were influenced by factors such as gender, satisfaction with the department, and interpersonal communication competence. These variables explained 33.7% of the variance in pre-clinical stress. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended to develop educational interventions that can help reduce stress before clinical practice among nursing students.