The purpose of this study was to examine how Black male students believed their housing status influenced their academic performance and retention at a historically Black urban university. For purposes of this study, housing status is used to identify students who lived in an on-campus residence hall from those who lived off-campus. A qualitative case study, focus groups, and individual interviews were conducted with 10 third year Black male students. Eight of the participants lived on campus during their third year, and two of the participants lived off campus. Focus groups and interviews were conducted during the 2015-2016 academic year. Initial emergent themes focused on attitudes and behaviors such as personal and academic resiliency, active decision making, and financial responsibility and awareness. Further analysis of these themes generated findings in three areas: 1) participant expectations of on-campus housing accommodations were not aligned with the institution's responsibility and capacity to deliver; 2) participant identification of housing factors that influenced their academic performance could be organized into four categories (convenience, financial stability, access to academic support resources, and university staff support); and 3) perceived administrative practices and policies supported or were barriers to academic performance and retention. The findings, though specific to the institution under study, provide insight that can inform retention practices and policies at any college or university focused on improving Black male persistence and retention. [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.]