This paper identified significant precollege predictors of retention in two freshman classes of a rural college. The subjects of the study were the 1987 and 1988 freshman classes (with 256 and 302 students, respectively) of Chadron State College (Nebraska), a rural college of over 3,000 students. Thirty-three student background variables were obtained from the ACT profile sheet; two variables, college GPA and retention, came from paper-and-pencil and electronic institutional records. Retention (enrolled or not enrolled after 1 year for the 1988 freshman class and after 2 years for the 1987 class) was the dependent variable. Discriminant analysis was performed on each class, on gender subgroups, and on three ACT ability levels. Results show that attrition remained predominantly a first-year problem. Females were more likely than males to stay in school after 1 or 2 years. Rates of attrition ballooned dramatically as ability levels declined. Across 12 discriminant analyses, the most often identified variables were high school GPA and an ACT subscore in natural science. Also common were age and hometown population, plus several measures of career choice such as business and social sciences. Significant predictors of retention represented many types of precollege measures, and the results varied as the dataset was redefined. One-year predictions were higher than 2-year predictions, and the correlates in this study were less successful in predicting female than male retention. (KS)