Although a number of studies have related personality traits to overall college achievement, little has been done to analyze academic achievement in terms of its cognitive level components and relate these components to personality variables and academic success. Personality characteristics, cognitive levels of functioning and grade point average were compared for a sample of 114 junior college students. Personality characteristics proved to be differentially associated with cognitive levels and grades. The most compelling results were the consistent association of autonomy with all cognitive levels, and the observation that a high religious orientation was negatively associated with classroom achievement. Although the analysis of academic achievement into levels of thought did not increase the correlations between personality and academic achievement beyond those usually reported, future studies should include an examination of the cognitive processes underlying achievement. (Author/JAC)