In societies, such as Ethiopia, where ethnically diverse people live, some conflict on identity-based cleavage is expected. Universities are one of the contexts where ethnic tensions and conflicts occur, and there is an increasing concern that they become the major battlefields for ethnic conflict in Ethiopia. The objective of the present research was to assess the prevalence of fear of ethnic violence and associated factors among students learning in higher education institutions of Ethiopia, with particular reference to Wolaita Sodo University. Both descriptive and analytical research designs were used where quantitative and qualitative approaches were adopted. 375 undergraduate regular students were selected through stratified multi-stage cluster sampling technique to participate in a structured questionnaire. In addition, two FGDs, each containing six members, and in-depth interviews with 14 students were conducted to triangulate data collected through the survey method. Quantitative data were inserted in to SPSS version 20 and then analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical tools. Analysis of the qualitative data was started in the field where data presentation was made in narration after thematic analysis. Fear of ethnic violence among the research participants was found to be high but fluctuating depending on prevailing circumstances in and out of the study area. In addition, fear of ethnic violence was found to be significantly associated with studentsâ€Ÿ previous victimization experience of ethnic violence (0.003, P