Objective: To explore positive psychological wellbeing of outstanding impoverished college students, and to provide reference for targeted mental health education. Methods: By using in depth interview, twenty two outstanding impoverished college students from an undergraduate university in Dongguan were recruited and interviewed during April to May 2021. Results: Qualitative analysis showed 9 characteristics in positive psychological wellbeing among these outstanding impoverished college students:gratitude( n =20), independence( n =15), sincerity( n =13), hard working( n =12), friendliness( n =11), studious( n =11), self cognitive adjustment( n =11), self discipline( n =11) and persistence( n =11), among which gratitude and independence were the core attributes. Factors associated with these positive psychological wellbeing mainly included the following aspects:family related factors [family function( 72.7 %), family teaching(63.6%), family emotional support(59.1%), parental attention in education( 36.4 %)], and family function scored the highest; peer related factors [peer influence(45.5%) and peer emotional support( 45.5 %)]; and teacher related factors [teachers emotional support(40.9%) and teachers teaching(27.3%)]. In addition, other factors such as personal practical experience, national policy support and school atmosphere also had certain impacts. Conclusion Outstanding impoverished college students demonstrate positive psychological wellbeing. It should pay more attention to the positive psychological characteristics of impoverished college students, to explore factors associated with positive psychological qualities from various aspects, to pay attention to the role of social and emotional support, and to implement education to enhance positive psychological traits among impoverished college students.