The majority of students who are Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) attend community colleges and approximately 90% of community colleges serve this population (Raue & Lewis, 2011). Over the last several decades, the post-secondary enrollment of this population has increased; however, the attrition rate remains problematic. Compared to the national average, Mississippi post-secondary students who are DHH fall behind most other states in the nation in advanced degree attainment (Erickson et al., 2016). Seven DHH students from across the state of Mississippi were interviewed to explore their community college experiences. Three research questions guided the study: (1) What are the experiences of students who are DHH within the community college system in Mississippi? (2) How do the experiences affect the students' perceptions of a successful degree completion? (3) What do students who are DHH believe can be done within their college to promote their academic success. The aim was to highlight the social and environmental influences on student retention and completion. Three themes and six sub-themes emerged: Language is a barrier, the quality and quantity of support services matter, and Deaf role models and VR counselors motivate students to enroll and persist. Three themes arouse; Language is a Barrier, Support Services Matter, Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors and Deaf Mentors Influence Enrollment and Persistence. Implications for practice and future research are indicated. [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.]