Many higher education institutions are focusing on their admissions operations. They are attempting to ensure a steady stream of enrolling students, and/or attempting to ensure the quality or composition of their entering classes. However, many colleges have not developed a comprehensive method of tracking student cohorts, measuring retention, and studying the effects of intervention strategies. Western New England College has developed a computer system for tracking and studying retention. In addition to providing the typical retention and graduation rates, the system can do such things as provide information on changes in majors, provide statistical analyses, and track multiple reasons for withdrawing. A computerized system allows the institution to monitor students' academic performances and the reasons for attrition, and to compare differences among subgroups and between different cohorts. Without building a comprehensive database and analyzing the data, important information can be overlooked, information which can help the institution select the proper actions to take. Databases can be simple or very extensive, but they are extremely valuable in helping personnel understand, plan, and take appropriate actions. (ABL)