The existing rich theoretical framework offers worrying data on the continuous increase of psychological difficulties within the student population, of which depression took the top spot, but also the higher estimated risk of depression in women compared to men. With the aim of facilitating and improving everyday and academic functioning, the identification, study, understanding and monitoring of the constructs that contribute to the development of such a frequent psychological problem is extremely important. Consequently, the aim of this research was to examine the connection between negative or maladaptive perfectionism, as well as ruminative thought style and depression, and also to examine gender differences in levels of depression between male and female students. The sample consisted of 231 students from the Republic of Croatia, whose ages ranged from 18 to 30 years. The research used a general data questionnaire, the Positive and Negative Perfectionism Scale (PNPS; Terry-Short et al., 1995), the Ruminative Thought Style Scale (RTS; Brinker and Dozois, 2009) and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21; Lovibond and Lovibond, 1995). The results showed that there is a significant positive connection between negative perfectionism and ruminative thought style with depression, but significant gender differences were also found, with female students achieving significantly higher levels of depression compared to male students. The obtained results are in line with expectations and provide a significant contribution to the understanding of the mentioned constructs on one domestic sample, but due to the more complex relationships between them, their closer study and examination is recommended for upcoming research