THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE ROLE OF SOCIAL STATUS IN THE ATTRACTION AND RETENTION OF MARRIED COLLEGE STUDENTS. A SECONDARY PURPOSE WAS TO DELINEATE THE ADJUSTMENT PROBLEMS WHICH MARRIED MALE STUDENTS OF DIFFERENT SOCIAL STATUS LEVELS FACE ON THE COLLEGE CAMPUS. PERSONAL INTERVIEWS WERE HELD WITH THE 282 FULL-TIME MARRIED STUDENTS (249 MALES AND 33 FEMALES) LIVING ON CAMPUS. DATA WERE DRAWN FROM AN INTERVIEW SCHEDULE OF APPROXIMATELY 150 QUESTIONS WHICH HAD BEEN PRETESTED BY A CLASS IN METHODS OF SOCIAL RESEARCH. INTERVIEWERS WERE SELECTED FROM GRADUATE STUDENTS IN SOCIOLOGY AND EDUCATION WHO HAD PARTICIPATED IN A TRAINING SESSION CONDUCTED BY THE SUPERVISOR OF FIELD TRAINING IN THE SOCIAL WORK CURRICULUM. THE SCHEDULE INCLUDED PERSONAL DATA, SOCIAL STATUS DATA, ASPIRATION DATA, COLLEGE ADJUSTMENT DATA, AND SITUATIONAL FACTORS. ANALYSES HAD TWO AIMS--(1) DETERMINING THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SOCIAL STATUS BACKGROUND, COURTSHIP EXPERIENCES, AND THE LEVEL OF ASPIRATION, AND (2) ESTABLISHING VARIATIONS IN PATTERNS OF COLLEGE ADJUSTMENT BY SOCIAL STATUS BACKGROUND. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS SEEMED TO INDICATE THAT (1) THE MARRIED STUDENTS HAD A SOCIAL STATUS BACKGROUND SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN THE SINGLE STUDENTS, (2) IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES BY SOCIAL STATUS BACKGROUND WERE FOUND IN THE EDUCATION OF THE WIFE, HER TENDENCY TO CONTINUE HER STUDIES, AND WHETHER OR NOT THE COUPLE MET ON CAMPUS, AND (3) SEVERAL AREAS OF ADJUSTMENT WERE PROBLEMS TO MARRIED STUDENTS FROM ALL SOCIAL STATUS LEVELS. (HB)