Objective: To identify the prevalence, characteristics and factors associated with alcohol consumptionamong university students in the Lima Metropolitan Area during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru, from March 16 to June 30, 2020. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional and analytical study was conducted using an online survey administered to 257 students. Descriptive analyses and logistic regressions were performed to determine odds ratios (OR) and their 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CI). The study evaluated the association between alcohol consumption and various sociodemographic, economic and health variables, as well as general and academic stress, fear of COVID-19, third-party provision of alcohol and perceived ease of access to alcohol. Results: A total of 43.6 % of respondents reported consuming alcohol between March and June 2020. Among these, 32.1 % engaged in ...