The retention rate in online classes is significantly lower than traditional classes especially in subjects like accounting. More than 40% of the students who were enrolled in online Accounting 101 courses either dropped or failed the course (internal data, 2020). There is a need to identify best practices to increase retention in online classes specifically in accounting. Faculty who teach online classes understand that online students encounter many problems that cause them to drop out from an online course. Some of these problems are associated to poor quality in the course design and yet some faculty and administrators are not taking actions to find methods to improve the course design and the online experience for students. The problem of attrition will continue if faculty do not adopt an effective method to retain online Accounting students which may impact the Accounting field in the future as it will lack Accounting employees. The purpose of this study was to examine if Quality Matters (QM) certified online classes improve the retention rate, engagement, and achievement in online Accounting classes. A quantitative quasi-experimental ex post facto and a correlation design was used to assess the effect of implementing the QM Rubric in online classes. After evaluating the collected data, this research concluded that the retention and engagement rates are higher in QM Accounting classes when compared to non-QM classes. For that reason, faculty need to devote time to develop high-quality QM-certified courses to increase retention and engagement. Furthermore, the QM rubric was cited as a best practice by Bento and White (2010) as being a reliable tool that helps Accounting faculty design high-quality online courses and helps graduate Accounting students achieve the learning objectives. The literature review showed that the QM Rubric can improve retention in online classes (Finley, 2012; Harkness, 2014). [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]