The research on student success in higher education is extensive. However, the qualitative literature that includes student conceptualizations of student success is limited (Blaich & Wise, 2021; Lipstein et al., 2023; Picton et al., 2018; Wallace & Wallace, 2016; Weatherton & Schussler, 2021; Yazedjian et al., 2008, York et al., 2015). College students are well-positioned to contribute to the development of a more nuanced understanding of the phenomenon of student success by sharing their experiences, perspectives, and individual journeys of success. The purpose of this study was to expand the understanding of student success by examining how college students at a four-year public research university conceptualize student success. Using a qualitative, narrative, and descriptive phenomenological methodological approach, data was gathered through surveys and semi-structured interviews with 15 undergraduate college students. Deconstructing how students conceptualize the phenomenon of student success allowed diverse perspectives to surface and be recognized. Findings included three overarching themes that describe how students articulated the essence and nature of the concept of student success: 1. Student success is personal; 2. Student success is evolving; and 3. Student success is emotional. Five components of student success describe the actions, behaviors, dispositions, and markers embedded in college students’ conceptualizations of success. These components are Executive Function, Mindsets, Academic Validation, Connection, and Career. Together, these findings led to three main clusters of insights that can be used to inform policy and practice. The insights include: 1. Students' Understanding of Success as Personal, Evolving, and Emotional; 2. The Responsibility for Success; and 3. Academic Validation and Student-Faculty Connections. These insights can help policymakers, administrators, faculty, and staff identify institutional barriers, advance solutions, and develop strategies to improve structures, programs, and initiatives. This study contributes new knowledge that broadens our understanding of student success, emphasizes the importance of including student voices in the research, and demonstrates the complex and multifaceted nature of student success within the context of the 21st century university setting.