Although approximately 20% of American college students are on academic probation, relatively little is known about how community college students perceived academic probation's role in assisting them throughout their entire college journey. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of community college students who experienced academic probation and to better understand how they perceived the effect of academic probation on their academic journey. This study was guided by Tinto's (1993) theory of student departure and followed a qualitative phenomenological design. The researcher collected data from 15 participants by having them complete semi-structured interviews. Five themes emerged from the dataset. Research question one revealed two themes: Participants perceived academic probation as (a) improving study habits and (b) influencing motivation and awareness throughout their academic journeys. Research question two revealed three themes: Participants perceived that academic probation (c) increased their communication with faculty members, (d) built trust through the relationship with their academic probation counselor, and (e) increased their levels of success by using faculty member office hours. Implications and recommendations for future studies are also discussed. [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.]