This research was conducted to explore EFL freshmen's anxiety in their higher education institution. This is a qualitative research. Data were collected through interviews with the participants. The participants of this research were Indonesian EFL students studying at UIN Ar-raniry Banda Aceh, specifically students majoring in the Department of English Language Education, batch 2023. The participants were chosen based on their experience of anxiety in their first year of university, as per the study's requirements. The results of this research answered two research questions of this thesis. There are four main causes of anxiety that freshmen experienced in their first semester and two main barriers and challenges in managing anxiety. The four main causes are the level of language skills, worry about the results of GPA, entering a new environment, and classmate rivalry. These four main causes affect their activity in the learning process and their social life in university. Freshmen tried to manage their anxiety but faced barriers and challenges. The barriers and challenges faced by EFL freshmen include difficulty building relationships with new friends and hardening to stay consistent in encouraging themselves to study. EFL freshmen also mentioned the support and
guidance they need in the first semester