Insufficiently understanding the meaning of academic integration or ineffectively responding to the academic integration needs of underprepared, first-year learners at the outset of their post-secondary journeys has resulted in providing fewer college degrees to an increasingly diverse student population at a time when there is a shortage of skilled workers in the American workforce competing within the global marketplace. In this study, academic integration was defined as the various steps pupils took toward achieving academic success, including course completion, expected GPA maintenance, and persistence toward degree attainment. The purpose of this phenomenological, qualitative study was to understand the phenomenon of academic integration and explore the lived experiences that underprepared, first-year college students had with the academic integration process, in order to discover the meaning of it. The conceptual framework for this study focused on self-efficacy and self-regulated learning, student engagement and student-oriented instruction, equitable access and persistence, support services and student success, policymaking and institutional action. Five first-year learners enrolled in various developmental education courses at an accredited, non-profit, private, four-year college in the New York metropolitan area participated in one 60-minute semi-structured individual interview. Participants described how they academically prepared for college and adjusted to college once they arrived. They also shared their academic expectations and perceptions of college-level academic success. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to understand the process of academic integration from the participants' point of view. A 30-minute member check meeting ensured the accuracy of the interview transcripts. The results highlighted how characteristics of academic self-identity impacted the process of academic integration. Participants believed in their ability to achieve academic success, self-advocated, displayed resiliency, and voiced trust in the school's intentions to provide the tools for academic achievement. Participants also expressed the need for valuable pre-college entry academic experiences, specific feedback and constructive criticism, college-level academic routines, and study strategies. Recognizing the dynamics involved in the academic integration process of underprepared, first-year students will allow institutes of higher education to intentionally design proactive first-year experiences that deliver adequate resources and develop or enhance relevant approaches to support student success for a diverse population of learners. [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.]