Purpose <p>This randomized controlled trial aimed to investigate the effect of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) on premenstrual syndrome, menstrual symptoms, and quality of life among nursing students.</p> Methods <p>The study was conducted with 80 nursing students enrolled at XXX University, who were randomly assigned to an experimental group (<i>n</i> = 40) and a control group (<i>n</i> = 40) using a pretest–posttest design. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, Premenstrual Syndrome Scale, Menstrual Symptom Scale, Subjective Units of Distress Scale, and the SF-12 Health Survey. The experimental group received EFT interventions, while the control group received no intervention during the study period. Pre- and post-intervention measurements were obtained for both groups.</p> Results <p>Following the intervention, statistically significant differences were found between the experimental and control groups in Premenstrual Syndrome Scale, Menstrual Symptom Scale, and Subjective Units of Distress Scale and their subdimensions (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). The experimental group also demonstrated significant improvements from pretest to posttest across these measures (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). Regarding quality of life, the Mental Component Summary score of the SF-12 increased significantly in the experimental group (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05), whereas the Physical Component Summary score showed an increase that did not reach statistical significance (<i>p</i> &gt; 0.05).</p> Conclusions <p>The findings suggest that EFT may be an effective complementary intervention for reducing premenstrual and menstrual symptoms and improving mental aspects of quality of life among nursing students. EFT may be considered a potentially supportive, non-pharmacological approach in the management of menstrual-related symptoms.</p> Trial registration <p>Clinical Trials.gov, NCT06557070.</p>