Longitudinal cohort analysis is a powerful tool for helping colleges understand student performance. It involves tracking students as a group or cohort over a specified period of time. The results allow administrators, faculty, and staff to identify groups of students who are succeeding or falling behind and the points in the educational pipeline where they may falter. This guide is designed to give colleges an overview of longitudinal cohort analysis and how it can be used to improve student success. A list of resources is included. (Contains 4 figures and 1 endnote.)