The current study examined differences in student performance and retention rates for those who completed remedial reading or remedial writing courses and those who did not in a private university in South Florida. International students also were compared to non-international students on academic performance and retention rates. The conceptual framework used for this study was Tinto's (1990) work on retention. The sample consisted of 222 freshmen, 124 females, and 98 males enrolled in the 2007-2008 academic year. Four races are represented: black, white, American Indian, and Asian. Two ethnicities are represented Hispanic and Non-Hispanic. Archival data collected from the university were used in this study. The data were collected from the students' initial application to the college. This research used a causal-comparative design to conduct the investigation. An independent samples t-test was used to test hypotheses 1 through 8 and a Pearson correlation was used to test Hypothesis nine. This study found that there was no significant difference between students who took remedial courses and those who did not. Despite the findings of this study, it cannot be concluded that remedial courses are not necessary. The outcome of this study may have been different if there was a larger sample size and other variables were investigated. Based on the results and findings of this study, it is recommended that future studies should be longitudinal and involve more students. Additionally, it is recommended that future studies examine the non-academic factors that affect developmental students' learning. [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.]