Research shows that multiple factors influence alcohol consumption during studies, and those that will be covered in this research relate to socioeconomic status and the perception of parental behavior. Considering the inconsistencies of earlier research, but also the lack of findings for the population of Croatian students and the lack of research that observes the perception of parental behavior separately for the mother and for the father, the aim of this research was to examine the role of socioeconomic status and perceived parental behavior in the consumption of alcohol in the population of Croatian students. Four hundred and eighty four Croatian students participated in this research. Students filled out the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), the Parental Behavior Perception Scale (SPRP) and the sociodemographic data questionnaire.The results showed that 94.2% of students consume alcohol, with 33.9% meeting the criteria for indicating a certain level of problems with consumption, and 3.5% meeting the criteria for considering the potential presence of alcohol addiction. Furthermore, it was shown that only the perception of a high deegre of control from the father's and the mother's side explained higher alcohol consumption among Croatian students, while only the perception of a high deegre of control from the father's side was significant among female students, however the model was not significant. The validation of the Croatian Parental Behavior Perception Scale was also performed, which established satisfactory psychometric characteristics. After removing a certain number of particles, a threefactor structure was established and the scale proved to be reliable. This paper provides valuable information that contributes to the small number of studies on the perception of parental behavior and alcohol consumption, as well as on the frequency of alcohol consumption among Croatian students.