The purpose of this research was to investigate characteristics of students in the Complete College America (CCA) cohort at a rural Western community college and the relationship of those characteristics with the students' perception of success. Student graduation and success rates are low at community colleges, nationwide. CCA is actively working with community colleges to improve graduation rates and streamline higher educational. It is important for community college administrators to understand students' perceptions of factors that influence their educational engagement and success. This research outlines and compiles literature on community colleges, student success, student perceptions, CCA, the CCA cohort, and students' perceptions of success in college. It used an extended version of The National Survey of Student Engagement (ENSSE) to collect data from community college students in the CCA cohort at a rural Western community college. This survey collected students' perceptions of personal, institutional, and external attributes as well as their perception of succeeding in college. Descriptive, chi square, and logistic regression analysis were then run on the data. The results of this study can be used to identify high-risk students early and assist them in receiving the services needed to succeed. [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.]