School dropout for nontraditional college students continues to increase without fully understanding the students' experiences of making this impactful decision. This study explored those experiences as well as the commonalities among the sample of nontraditional college students who attended for-profit institutions. Utilizing a generic, qualitative approach, themes were developed to the research question, "What is the experience of nontraditional college students who decide to drop out of school?" The data from this study were thematically analyzed with constant comparison and derived four main themes: (a) Assessment of Value; (b) Factors Facilitating Decision Making; (c) Internal Occurrences; and (d) Coping Strategies. The results of this study highlighted the importance of better understanding the nontraditional college student and the psychosocial aspects attributed to the decision to quit school. Additionally, stakeholder scan enhance student services provided to this population to assist retention in school. Further research on this topic would be beneficial to determine if similar themes are found in traditional students and/or non-profit institutions. [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.]