The need for higher enrollment, along with a greater focus on educational access and making college more accessible has created an urgent need for community colleges and universities to develop retention and persistence strategies for students who are not prepared academically and may lack the resources to be successful in college (Bailey & Alfonso, 2005; Nordell, 2009; Zeidenberg, 2008). Academic "success courses", postsecondary courses that endeavor to promote success through teaching topics such as institutional resources and processes, study skills, and other academic strategies, are among the tools that profess to increase academic success (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). This dissertation synthesized current literature of success courses via meta-analyses to determine if statistically significant, positive relationships exist between academic success and academic success courses. Grade point average (GPA) was measured by the standardized mean difference, and retention and persistence were measured via odds ratio analyses. Each meta-analysis yielded a statistically significant result, but due to limitations such as low effect sizes, potential publication biases, and the inability to measure moderator variables, the null hypotheses could not be rejected, and conclusions of positive relationships or cause and effect relationships between success courses and academic success could not be achieved. More careful research needs to be conducted on success courses before any lasting conclusions can be drawn on their relationship to academic success. When results are discussed, conclusions are drawn, and causal relationships are stated, data must be present to support these assumptions in order to truly serve students and present effective, efficient programs to students that truly support academic 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.]