The study supported our hypothesis that intrinsic motivation has a positive effect on engagement among higher education students. The results also showed that amotivation was a stronger predictor of disengagement than extrinsic motivation. The self-determination theory defines amotivation as a pessimistic impact of motivation, where individuals exhibit unregulated and unintentional behaviors due to feelings of failure, low expectations, or lack of interest. The study also found that intrinsic motivation predicts lower stress levels, while amotivation predicts high stress levels and poor adaptation to university tasks.