This review of the literature summarizes recent exploration of nursing student attrition. Attrition places financial burdens on students who leave a program, results in lost revenue for the college, and compounds the existing nursing shortage. Some research investigated the student selection process, which seeks to decrease attrition by admitting only those students most likely to be successful in the program. Other studies focused on retaining the already-enrolled students. Cognitive, as well as noncognitive factors, were found to affect attrition. Community colleges, where the vast majority of associate degree nurses are educated, are uniquely positioned to help meet the challenge of increasing the supply of nurses to meet the increasing demand. Community colleges are called upon to become actively engaged in investigating this problem, and to implement evidence-based strategies aimed at reducing attrition of nursing students.