The framework for this study used Tinto's (1975) theoretical framework for student persistence and incorporated the examination of high school wealth, the absence of poverty, as measured by the percentage of students receiving Federal Free and Reduced Lunch, along with North Carolina Department of Public School performance measures, academic performance on the ACT College Readiness Exam, and student demographic characteristics, age, race/ethnicity, and gender, as predictors of retention in the North Carolina Community College System Associate Degree in Nursing programs. Seventeen community colleges participated in this study; the sample contained 400 North Carolina public high school graduates. Using logistic regression, this study found that older students and African American students were at greater risk of attrition than younger students or White students. Additional examination of the data found that the majority of African American students enrolled in the associate degree in Nursing programs attended North Carolina public high schools of lower wealth and with a lower percentage of students passing the Reading component of the ACT College Readiness Exam than their White counterparts. Ultimately, the findings from this investigation will serve as a preliminary needs assessment for North Carolina's community colleges to provide all students with the opportunity to pursue the American Dream while diversifying the nursing workforce to better mirror the population and meet the diversity goals of the Institute of Medicine. [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.]