| Sumario: | Background: Students in higher education face unique challenges that can increase their vulnerability to substance use. However, prevention and intervention efforts can be challenging due to their heterogeneous nature, which entails diverse substance use patterns and types. Methods: To provide a more nuanced understanding, this study aimed to identify distinct subtypes of substance use among 91,321 students in higher education (Mage = 23.69 years, SDage = 6.79) through latent class analysis. Subsequently, differences in mental health outcomes, including depression, anxiety, and suicidality, among the identified latent subtypes were examined using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: These analyses identified four latent subtypes: all-use (n = 2,307, 2.5%), moderate-use (n = 9,395, 10.3%), legal-substance (n = 32,761, 35.9%), and alcohol-only (n = 46,858, 51.3%) and found significant group differences in mental health outcomes, indicating varying needs and levels of risk. Implications and recommendations for counseling professionals and researchers are also discussed. Conclusion: This study identified four distinct subtypes of substance use among college students, each with unique mental health profiles related to depression, anxiety, and suicidality. By offering a clearer typology, the findings support more tailored prevention and intervention strategies for counselors and researchers..
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