Objective To describe and analyze the influencing factors of psychological crisis among college students with borderline personality disorder (BPD) traits. Methods Self-compiled general information questionnaire, personality assessment inventory-borderline features scale (PAI-BOR), brief version of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale (DERS-16), short version of the UPPS-P impulsive behavior scale (S-UPPS-P), patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and psychological crisis screening questionnaire were used to survey 340 college students in Shanghai selected by convenience sampling. Participants were assigned to BPD trait or non-BPD trait groups based on PAI-BOR scores. The risk of psychological crisis and influencing factors of the 2 groups were analyzed. Results A total of 323 valid questionnaires were collected. The average age of the participants was (21.39±2.98) years old, and 164 participants were male and 159 were female. The detection rate of borderline personality disorder traits was 19.20% (62/323). There were significant differences in family relationship, experiences of major changes, difficulties in emotion regulation, impulsivity and depression between the 2 groups (all P＜0.05). The detection rates of mild psychological crisis and severe psychological crisis were significantly higher in the BPD trait group than in the non-BPD trait group (both P＜0.001). Stepwise multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that sensation seeking and difficulties in emotion regulation were risk factors for mild psychological crisis in the BPD trait group (both P＜0.05), and sensation seeking and history of mental disorders in close relatives were risk factors for severe psychological crisis in the BPD trait group (both P＜0.05). Conclusion BPD traits in college students are associated with the risk of psychological crisis. Sensation seeking, difficulties in emotion regulation, and history of mental disorders in close relatives are risk factors of psychological crisis among students with BPD traits. Colleges and universities should put more emphasis on the mental health of students with BPD traits, and formulate targeted preventive measures.