Many at-risk college students fail to avail themselves of the resources provided for them by their universities. In the interest of academic retention, colleges and universities are taking an increasingly proactive stance and contacting at-risk students to offer them specific services. This study compared retention rates for at-risk freshman students (N=171) who were sent assistance materials, to retention rates for control students (N=169). The subjects included second semester full-time freshmen with low grade point averages, first semester full-time commuting transfer students, and reinstated students with a low number of credit hours. Materials sent to the students included a cover letter highlighting the student's academic vulnerability, a checklist of causes of poor grades, and a resource manual describing materials available on campus to help students overcome problems. The results indicated that the three treatment groups did not differ significantly from the nontreatment control groups in their rates of retention or their rates of retention in good standing. These results suggest that the impact of a mailed intervention on the retention of students in academic jeopardy is highly questionable, if not negative. (BL)