Table 1.

Participant details including gender, age, diagnosis timing and information on university at the time of dropping out.

Participant pseudonym	Gender	Age at interview	Employment status	Highest educational qualification	Diagnosis timing – before, during or after dropping out	Further university details at the time of dropping out
Finn	Male	39	Employed full-time	Other qualifications	After	Went straight after A-levels, dropped out twice after transferring between first years and lived in private accommodation.
Alexander	Male	38	Unemployed/unable to work	Other qualifications	During	Straight from college, lived in student accommodation and dropped out final year.
Angelica	Female	26	Employed full-time	2+ A-levels	After	Straight from sixth form, lived in student housing leased by the university and dropped out second year.
Angus	Male	47	Employed full-time	Higher national diploma	After	Went from college into second year of degree, lived with grandmother and transferred to first year then dropped out.
Harry	Male	21	Student	Scottish Highers	After	Took year out after school before university, lived in student accommodation and dropped out first term of first year.
Lydia	Female	49	Employed full-time/self-employed	Undergraduate degree	After	Straight from school, lived in student accommodation and dropped out first term of second year.
Heung-Min	Male	45	Unable to work/student	Undergraduate degree	After	Mature student, lived in private shared house, repeated first year and dropped out second year.
Siobhan	Female	34	Self-employed/student	Masters	After	Straight from college initially, dropped out of three degrees at different universities; lived in student accommodation twice and parents once; and dropped out twice from first year, once from second year.
Arya	Female	43	Unemployed	Undergraduate degree	Before	Mature student, dropped out of Masters, lived at home and dropped out first term.
Mauricio	Male	29	Employed full-time/self-employed	One A-level	Before	Straight from college on same campus, lived in supported living and dropped out second year.
Kelly	Female	37	Student	PGCert	After	Straight from school, lived in private accommodation with partner and dropped out first year.
June	Female	38	Student	Undergraduate degree	After	Straight from sixth form, lived in student accommodation and dropped out second year.
Nora	Female	39	Carer	Masters	After	Straight from school, lived in student accommodation and dropped out first year.
Mousa	Male	54	Employed part-time/self-employed	Masters	Before	Mature student, dropped out of Masters, lived at home and left after second term.

Pseudonyms are provided for each participant.