Various individual and institutional factors have been identified as relating to student retention. Student demographics, past academic record, students' intentions and commitment level, integration into the institution, and institutional factors have been identified by past literature as factors relating to student retention. This study focused on the institutional factor of registration protocols defined by the time of registration and its relationship to student success and retention. The study tested three research questions: (1) if a relationship existed between the time of registration and student success as measured by semester GPA; (2) if a relationship existed between the time of registration and student retention as measured by re-registration for the subsequent semester; (3) does a difference exist between each of the demographic factors: age, gender, first generation status, and receipt of Pell grant and registration protocols? An independent samples t-test and a chi-square test of independence were used to analyze the data. The alpha for the study was set at 0.05. An independent samples t-test was used to compare the mean GPAs of early/on-time registrants and late registrants. The difference between the early/on-time registrants and the late registrants GPA was found statistically significant. A chi-square test of independence was used to determine if a significant difference existed between early/on-time registrants and late registrants and the frequency of re-registration for the subsequent semester. It was found that late registrants re-registered at a lower frequency than early/on-time registrants. No statistical difference was found between registration protocols and age. However, a statistical difference was found between gender and registration protocols. The study found that male students were more likely than female students to register late. No statistical difference was found for first generation status and Pell grant receipt and registration protocols. The results of the study found that a statistically significant relationship existed between the time of registration of students and both student success and student retention. Students who registered late were less likely to be retained the following semester and did not perform as well academically. [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.]