First-year experience programs hope to help increase retention and graduation rates by providing students' academic and social foundations during their first semester in college. The academic and social curriculums embedded in first-year experience programs strive to have a positive impact on improving students' self-esteem and retention attitude. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a first-year experience program had a significant impact on students' self-esteem and retention attitude. In this study we surveyed students who had been exposed and those not exposed to the first-year experience program curriculum. The research method used was a quantitative study using survey instruments consisting of the Rosenburg Self-esteem Scale and a study designed survey to measure retention attitude. The sample size for the study was one hundred seventy-four students from a university population. The Rosenburg Scale asked ten questions on a four point Likert scale with responses strongly agree, agree, disagree, and strongly disagree. The resultant interpretation provided a numeric value which is the self-esteem quotient of the participant. The researcher designed survey consisted of inquiries relating to retention attitude. According to Cherry, Attitude is a set of emotions, beliefs, and behaviors toward a particular object, person, thing, or event (Cherry, 2021). The set of emotions, beliefs, and behaviors students have regarding persisting in their studies from matriculation to graduation at an institution based on influences they have internalized is retention attitude. The data analysis method used for the researcher designed survey was analysis of variance (ANOVA), Chi-square tests and regression. The ANOVA was used to determine whether there were any statistically significant differences between the means, Chi-square compared observed results with expected results while the regression method served to predict an outcome. One significance of this study adds to the body of knowledge in support of determining first-year experience program funding options for administrators. This study revealed that students who were exposed to and not exposed to the FYE programs shared similar retention attitudes toward persisting to the next semester and graduation. The study also revealed a significance result in students' self-esteem and academic classification of 0.046 which is below the significance standard of .050. Due to a statistical significance persisting in self-esteem for academic classification additional research is recommended to determine the factors in this area to further the body of knowledge. [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.]