The character and quality of students' clinical experience, in addition to knowledge, play an important role in the proces of competence development. Nursing students' first experiences is of utmost importance. The aim was to assess the relationship between selected individual variables and the nursing students' perceptions of the quality of their clinical placement experience. The research tools included: an original questionnaire, Ascent to Nursing Competence Scale, Generalized Self Efficacy Scale and Perceived Stress Scale. The subjects were 322 undergraduate nursing students. Younger students, those with a high sense of self efficacy and those who experienced low levels of stress achieved higher scores in all subscales of the ACS scale. Supportive learning environment facilitates the development of competence of nursing students. The sense of self-efficacy and the sense of belonging to an interdisciplinary team of learners play a crucial role in this process.