This study explored the barriers to success experienced by students with psychiatric disabilities (PD) enrolled in college programs. The students in the PD group were compared to a matched group of students with learning disabilities (LD) on graduation rates, endurance levels, grade point averages, self-assessment of cognitive, academic, and student skills, on integration into the disability support system, and on the character, number, and severity of the distractors which they experienced. Students with PD were found to have significantly lower graduation rates than students with LD. There were no significant differences between the groups in endurance levels and in grade point average (GPA). In self-assessment of cognitive, academic, and student skills there were very few differences between the groups. There were, however, significant differences in the degree to which each group was integrated into the disability support system, an access barrier associated with the interaction between the disability-related experiences of the PD group, and the model of disability support offered by the college. There were also significant differences between the groups in the number and in the severity of the distractors which they experienced. These results suggest that distractor barriers reduce the time which PD students are able to commit to the academic requirements of their program. A number of recommendations for further research are made.