One of the most pressing issues facing American universities is the number of students who fail to graduate. Nearly one out of five four-year institutions graduate fewer than one-third of its first-time, full-time degree-seeking first-year students within six years. Although there are various explanations for attrition, students often leave for personal reasons, job demands, dissatisfaction with the academic environment, and incongruence with campus values. Low graduation rates: (a) cost universities scarce resources; (b) weaken the ability to meet educational objectives; and (c) reflect the university's inability to meet the educational, social, and emotional needs of students. This article focuses on one of the most significant issues of the time regarding students from historically underrepresented populations. As the country's racial/ethnic minority representation increases, colleges and universities must seek ways to diversify their enrollment to better prepare all students to live and work in a diverse democracy. In order to understand the complexities faced by students with backgrounds other than the majority culture, which may be factors that predict these students' graduation rates, the article is divided into the subheadings: (a) Retaining African American students; (b) Issues impacting Hispanic college student retention; (c) College persistence and Asian Pacific American students; and (d) Retention of Native American students. (Contains 1 table.)