Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of metacognition, clinical performance, and academic stress on program outcomes of nursing students. Methods A survey was administered to 105 nursing students in three cities to collect data on metacognition, clin-ical competency, academic stress, and program outcomes scales. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Stepwise regression analysis was conducted to identify the influencing fac-tors on program outcomes. Results The program outcomes of nursing students was significantly positively correlated with metacognition (r=.72, p<.001) and clinical competency (r=.64, p<.001), and significantly negatively correlated with academic stress (r=.-44, p<.001). Metacognition ( =.44, p<.001), clinical competency (ββ=.30, p<.001), and academic stress (β=-.20, p.=004) were the factors affecting nursing students' program outcomes, and the explanatory power of these variables was 60%. Conclusions In order to achieve program outcomes of nursing students, it is necessary to provide various educa-tional programs to increase metacognition and clinical competency, and it is necessary to regularly check academ-ic stress levels and provide individualized and specific management for students who experience high academic stress.