Student success, variously understood as engagement, persistence, completion, graduation and entry to employment, has become a central focus for stakeholders in higher education. Theoretical and empirical research exploring these varied conceptions has mushroomed since the 1980s. Much of this literature focuses on what and how higher education institutions contribute to student success; a substantial amount also reports on the part students play in their own success. Less frequently studies investigate how non-institutional influences affect student success. This article addresses this gap. It uses data from a survey of first-time enrolled students in New Zealand higher education to investigate the importance of family, cultural, employment and personal influences on student perceptions of success. Findings show that non-institutional influences exert a moderate effect on student success, and that they are influences which need to be considered by institutions interested in fostering student success. (Contains 2 tables.)