With an active war ongoing for nearly thirteen years, the nation has been experiencing hundreds of thousands of returning solders as a result of the military drawdown of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. The intent of this research study was to understand the effectiveness of university programs, services, and practices in retaining student veterans transitioning to higher education. This qualitative case study analysis approach was informed by persistence theories in order to analyze and understand the challenges, obstacles, and experiences of student veterans attending two universities and to hear the persistence stories or voices of student veterans as they transition to institutions of higher education. This study interviewed 20 presumptively selected participants who were student veterans enrolled at two universities in California. Data collection methods for this study included face-to-face individual interviews, focus group discussions, field notes, and text-based documents. The findings of this research study indicated that student veterans are a unique student population, requiring special attention from institutions of higher education. The study ends with a discussion of findings, implications for policy and practice, recommendations of future research, and highlights final conclusions. [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.]