The purpose of this research was to develop a hybrid framework to model first year student retention for underrepresented minority (URM) students comprising African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans. Identifying inputs that best contribute to student retention provides significant information for institutions to learn about student needs, how to support student academic success, and how to increase retention in STEM fields. Institutions can also rely on using qualitative analysis to examine students' experiences during the freshman year to acquire useful information on different student retention behaviors from a diverse population. Based on this information, better programs and student services can be developed.