In the absence of an effective medical cure or preventative vaccine, curtailment of the spread of the potentially fatal Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (or AIDS) within Australia depends upon community initiative and involvement. Awareness of the problem and evaluation of the seriousness of the AIDS threat are themselves crucial preconditions to community preventative intervention. The aim of the present study was therefore to assess perceptions by a group of 87 tertiary students of the seriousness of AIDS relative to other problems in the community. The results showed more than one-third of the students ranked AIDS as more of a threat than any other problem, including unemployment, crime, drugs, and nuclear weapons. There was also a significant sex difference, with women evaluating AIDS as a more serious threat than did men.