Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of short-term behavioral activation therapy on reducing depression in students with clinical symptoms of depression. Method: The research was a pre-test-post-test method with a control group. The sample group of this study Students who scored high in the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) questionnaire were selected by simple random sampling method and two groups of 15 people were tested and controlled. The experimental and control groups completed the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) questionnaire before and after treatment. The treatment sessions consisted of 10 sessions. Data were collected through the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) questionnaire. The analysis of covariance was performed by SPSS software. Results: The findings showed that short-term behavioral activation therapy was effective in reducing depression in students with clinical symptoms of depression. Conclusion: Therefore, based on the findings, short-term behavioral activation reduces depressive symptoms in students with clinical symptoms of depression.