Objective: To evaluate the consumption of alcohol by students of nursing bachelor degree from a private institution in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Method: It is exploratory and descriptive study with quantitative approach. The instrument was the AUDIT-C. Results: The sample consisted of 163 students with female predominance (65.6%). Respondents' age ranged between 18 and 46 years, the average was 23.9 years. It was found that 48.5% of participants make use of risk, 19% abuse and 7.4% are in level of consumption of probable dependency. It was found that the unmarried are more likely to make use of risk that others. It was found that younger and smaller series, greater the chance of making risky consumption of alcohol. There were no differences in consumption between sexes. Conclusion: Thus, it is necessary to do prevention strategies for combat this problem.Descriptors: Nursing students, Alcoholism, Substance-related disorders.