Aim: To describe the negative experiences, coping strategies for stressful situations, and factors associated with COVID-19 worry among undergraduate students at Makerere University during the second COVID-19 lockdown in Uganda.

Methods: Descriptive cross-sectional study at Makerere University. Negative experiences and coping strategies were measured using a semi-structured questionnaire formulated based on literature and findings from previous studies on mental health and COVID-19. Descriptive statistics and measures of association were done using Stata 13.

Results: A total of 301 participants were enrolled. Their median age were 23 years. The majority were male (192, 64.0%), single (269, 89.7%,) and on normal academic progress (241, 80.3%). 48.0% of the participants were worried about COVID-19. Disruption of students' academics (277, 92.0%) and financial problems (184, 61.1%) were the most reported negative experiences. Coping strategies included listening to music (203, 67.4%), talking to family and friends (191, 63.5%,) and watching movies (174, 57.8%). Female students than males (aOR: 2.0, 95% CI: 1.0—45.0, p= 0.118) and students without paid employment than those with paid work (aOR: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.0—5.0, p= 0.109) were more worried about COVID-19.

Conclusion: Nearly half of the students were worried about COVID-19, which disrupted their social and academic lives. The