Abstract: Based on the finite element model of slope，the influence laws of the underground water level changes on seismic dynamic response and stability of the slope are studied.The analysis on the finite element simulation showed that the existence of groundwater makes the water content of soil increase，slope toe is the position of the groundwater seepage，and the effective stress is reduced under the influence of seepage force and pore water pressure which leads the shear strength to decrease.With the increase of the depth of the water，the influence of groundwater on shear stress and shear strain at the foot of slope increases gradually，and the shear stress and shear strain under far field earthquake in different water depth are greatly affected，showing that the influence of far field seismic on shear capacity at the foot of the slope is greater.The safety factor without the groundwater is located at the middle of the curve of dynamic safety factors，and the minimum value of the dynamic safety factor is greater than static safety factor.With the increase of underground water level，the safety factor calculated by pseudo-static method move to the upper of the dynamic safety factors.Thus，the safety factor calculated by the pseudo-static method to make the assessment of slope stability under the higher water level will have a certain potential risk

Key words: Earthquake, Groundwater level, Dynamic response, Stability, Pseudo-static method