In spring 1982, a study was conducted to determine the persistence of Howard Community College (HCC) students from fall 1981 to spring 1982 and the relationship of students' attendance status, sex, and age to retention rates. Selected study findings include the following: (1) the overall retention rate for spring 1982 was 61.1% including Special Students (i.e., students not matriculating in a certificate or associate degree program) and 66.1% excluding these students; (2) full-time students in occupational programs had the highest persistence rate (83.6%), and part-time Special Students had the lowest rates (41.9%); (3) 10.9% of the spring 1982 students had not attended HCC in fall 1981, but had attended in previous terms; (4) the two Maryland community colleges from which comparable retention data were obtained had overall retention rates of 68% and 52%; (5) fall-to-spring retention rates at HCC were between 61% and 62% from 1979 to 1982; (6) spring-to-fall retention rates were consistently lower than fall-to-spring rates, remaining in the 50% to 55% range; (7) females were more likely to persist in their studies from fall to spring than males, with statistically significant differences in the part-time students and total student categories; and (8) students in the age groups 17-19, 20-22, and 36-40 had the highest retention rates. (AYC)