For this study we identified factors exerting significant influence on homesickness and explored the impact of the homesick experience on students' academic performance and retention in the first year in college. The findings reveal 2 constructs underlying the homesickness scale: homesick separation and homesick distress. Demographic variables found to impact students' level of homesickness included gender, residence, and parental education. Homesick distress resulted in a significant, albeit small, explanation of the variance of first-semester GPA and first-year retention.