Enrollment managers strategize to transform high school students into college freshman, also known as ripe honey, but efforts are stifled when rising tuition costs negatively impact graduation rates. Tuition prices have risen from $500 to upwards of $60,000 and rising in just 50 years, and higher education is under fire for the continual rise in sticker price to obtain a college education. Senior level university administrators must consider retention-based tuition pricing plans to increase retention and graduation rates. This exploratory, quantitative study examined the impact of the guaranteed tuition plans on graduation rates overall and by race and how much could be explained by socioeconomic status, test scores and institutional characteristics. Graduation rates were analyzed from 416 freshman entry class cohorts representing 52 institutions in Illinois between the years of 2004 through 2011. The dependent variables were 6-year graduation rates for the total cohort and for Black, Hispanic and White students. The primary independent variable was the tuition plan category, and the secondary independent variables were ACT 25th percentile scores, percentage of students taking student loans, institutional size and control, and tuition rates. Five statistical analysis methods were used to conduct this study including Factorial ANOVA, MANOVA, and ANCOVA which compared the mean graduation rates both within and between groups among guaranteed tuition plan and non-guaranteed tuition plan institutions. In addition, an independent samples t-test and correlation analysis measured the association and direction of tuition rates on graduation rates at guaranteed tuition plan institutions. The results showed that students at institutions without guaranteed tuition plans graduate at a significantly higher rate, overall and by race, than students at guaranteed tuition plan institutions; however, the difference is largely based on the fact that the schools were private versus the type of tuition plan. The findings showed that ACT 25th percentile scores had the biggest effect explaining 63% of the variance in graduation rates while the percentage of students on student loan aid had no effect. In addition, enrollment size had a significant impact on graduation rates among guaranteed tuition plan schools and explained 28% of the variance in graduation rates. The most surprising result was that guaranteed plan institutions with higher tuition rates had significantly higher graduation rates, and as tuition rates increased, graduation increased at these institutions. The findings in this study led to the following three conclusions: 1) Guaranteed tuition plan policies do not imply higher graduation rates for students, 2) Institutions with larger enrollments are more likely to experience success with guaranteed tuition plans and realize higher graduation rates, and 3) High tuition rates lead to high graduation rates. The findings that inform these conclusions provided critical insight into the difference in graduation rates among guaranteed tuition plan and non-guaranteed tuition plan institutions and illuminated the gaps in completion rates among public and private institutions, as well as Black, Hispanic and White students. The implications suggest that senior level administrators should closely review tuition pricing policies to determine the best strategic investment in human capital to preserve the honey. [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.]