The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influence underprepared students' persistence at a California community college. A mixed method, sequential explanatory design comprised of a quantitative phase followed by a qualitative phase was utilized. The quantitative part entailed statistical analysis of data available through the Research and Planning Office at the community college and from a comprehensive national normed College Student Inventory administered to the selected students (N = 77) during their first semester. The qualitative component included a representative sample of academically underprepared students (N = 15) from the quantitative group going through individual interviews to explore in depth the relationship between academic unpreparedness and a student's decision to stay or drop out of college. The study was conducted at a California Community college located in an area with a diverse population and a low college persistence rate. A Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient (r) revealed linear relationships between several potential predictors; however, most were small (0.10) to moderate (0.30) correlations. The weak correlations debunk some of the past research that showed factors such as academic preparedness, student demographics and family backgrounds to be strong predictors of college persistence. One of the reasons is that many people, including the unprepared, are returning to college due to the bad economy and are staying enrolled in school despite the challenges they face due to underpreparedness or where they come from. The study however found that positive faculty interaction was critical to the students' success. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]