This predictive correlational research study examined the effect of cognitive, demographic, and socioeconomic variables as predictors of regular and special admission students' first-year GPA and retention among a sample of 7,045 students. Findings indicated high school GPA and ACT scores were the two most effective predictors of regular and special admission students' first-year GPA. High school GPA was effective for predicting retention only among regular admission students. Implications for research and practice are discussed.