Many Hispanic adult immigrants to the United States acquire sufficient English skills to enable them to function in daily life but are left feeling that their skills are inadequate for college work. The problem addressed by the study is that the factors that are predictive of successful acquisition of college-level English skills had not been elucidated. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to discover what factors are held in common by adult Hispanic English language learners who have been successful in completing coursework at the college level. The theoretical framework of the research was Cummins' 1979 theory of a dichotomy between basic interpersonal communications skills and cognitive academic language proficiency and Cummins' 1979 common underlying proficiency model in which he asserts that cognitive academic language skills in one language enhance similar skills in a second language is also a framework for this research. A case study design was used to determine the factors conducive to the development of cognitive academic language proficiency include meeting personal emotional needs. Purposeful sampling was used to gather nine Hispanic immigrants whose first language is Spanish, who acquired English as a second language, and who have been successful on the college level. The study was guided by two research questions and four sub-questions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted by Zoom, and the data were coded and analyzed inductively, resulting in ten themes. The results show the importance of an education-minded self-concept and the vital need to building a supportive network as well as the need to engage in intense language skills development, including copious amounts of reading and self-immersion into English use situations, building support systems, and developing cognitive, metacognitive and affective strategies. This information is useful for students, parents, teachers, and other college personnel. Future research and into college-bound English as a second language methods as well as programs that combine a cognitive academic language learning approach with affective strategies are recommended for enhancing future practice. [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://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]