This report, part three of a long-range study of persistence and performance in California's community colleges, presents rates of non-persistence for the sample of 35,000 students during 1972-73, their first year of enrollment. About 18 percent of the new students enrolled for credit withdrew from all classes before the end of the fall term. An additional 22 percent completed the first term, but did not continue into the spring term. Only 8 percent of the students who persisted into the spring term withdrew from all classes before the ned of their first year. About 20 percent of the fall withdrawals reenrolled in the spring, and one-third of these withdrew a second time. Full-time students exhibited significantly higher rates of persistence to the end of the term than part-time students. Students with prior experience at another institution displayed somewhat lower rates of persistence than first-time students, as did the women in the sample, compared to men. The representation of minority students in the groups of non-persisters was about equal to their representation in the total sample. A large portion of the students completing only one term were fairly successful academically, as measured by grades, particularly students with prior college attendance. Four tables of data are presented. (Author/NHM)