While there has been a surge in the number of adults entering accelerated academic programs at colleges and universities over the last decade, there has not been a corresponding increase in the number of adult learners in these programs who persist and achieve their degrees. This work sought to develop a detailed model for helping faculty and administrators in higher education for improving retention in accelerated higher education programs based on both prior research regarding possible causes for the persistent lack of retention in accelerated programs and on the theoretical foundations of Zinn (1991, 2004) and Knowles (1980).