OBJECTIVES: Recently considerable attention had been devoted to the study of health-related quality of life (hrQoL) in college students. These individuals are under considerable stress and have less control over their lives than older individuals already well established. This has a major impact on their health, particularly in the psychological domains, affecting their quality of life. The objectives of this study were to describe hrQoL of college students in Venezuela and to examine its relationships with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and socioeconomic status (SES). METHODS: A random sample of students from the Central University of Venezuela was surveyed using a written questionnaire.  hrQoL was measured using a Spanish version of EuroQol comprising the health states descriptive system (EQ-5D) and the EQ visual analogue scale (EQ VAS). Breslau’s 7-item screener was used to identify PTSD symptoms in the past month. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 10-item version of the CES-D. The associations among hrQoL, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and demographical variables were examined using both bivariate and multivariate models. RESULTS: Of 559 participants, 335 (59.9%) were female. The sample had a mean age of 20.52 years (SD=2.756). For the EQ-5D, the dimensions with the higher proportions of reported problems were pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. The dimension with the lowest reported problems was self-care. Neither age nor gender was associated with hrQoL in our population. In multiple regression analysis, depressive symptoms, post-traumatic stress, and SES explained a significant amount of variance on the EQ VAS score. CONCLUSIONS: Study limitations include the use of a sample of students from only one university in Venezuela. Quality of life is associated to depressive symptoms, post-traumatic stress, and SES. The study identified a group of students with poor quality of life, particularly in the mental domain. Health promoting interventions are needed for those of students.