This study focused on the problem that students attending on-ground programs retain significantly higher than students in online programs. The purpose of this quantitative causal-comparative study was to determine what difference, if any, existed in the grades and persistence of adult online students who used student support services and those who did not at a university in the southeast region of the United States. The objective was to determine whether students' grades and persistence in online degree programs were impacted due to not using student support services. Two questions guided the research. The first question examined differences in students' grades depending on whether or not they used online student support services. The second question examined differences in students' persistence, depending on whether or not they used online student support services. Deidentified archival data was collected from the university on 225 undergraduate adult online students who were earning their degrees during the 2018-2019 academic year. Deidentified archival data were analyzed using an independent t-test. Regarding the first research question, there was no statistically significant difference in the grades of adult learners who used online student support services and those who did not. However, there was a statistically significant difference in the persistence of adult learners who used online student support services and those who did not. The results of this study add to the limited research conducted on the impact of online student support services on the grades and persistence of adult online learners. Recommendations for practice include mandatory inclusion of the use of support services for adult online learners. Recommendations for future research include conducting a comparative qualitative study to better understand the student population using and not using student support services. [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.]