The persistence of the freshman class (5,052 students) of 1974 at Indiana University's Bloomington campus was investigated. The students were classified into three groups according to their enrollment status in the fall of 1976. Two-thirds were persisters who were enrolled for their third academic year. Among the students who were no longer enrolled were the dropouts who were in academic difficulty when they left the University and the nonacademic dropouts who left for reasons other than academic difficulty. Approximately 14 percent of the 1974 class were academic dropouts and 18.5 percent were nonacademic dropouts. The three groups were compared on selected academic and biographic variables. The relationship of these variables to students' first semester grades, cumulative hours at the University, and enrollment status is also investigated. The importance of the retention of students to the vitality of an institution is emphasized. It is suggested that an understanding of the persistence/attrition phenomenon is necessary if an institution is to develop programs that facilitate the goal of a college education for each entering student. (Author/SF)