The purpose of this study was to analyze and examine the support that is available to students at a North Central Texas Higher Education Institution. There is a global and national effort to increase the number of individuals entering STEM professions. Overall, there are not enough trained individuals to fill the number of STEM jobs that are available. This study investigated reasons that college students may or may not leave STEM programs. The mixed methods study included a Likert-scale survey as well as an opportunity for participants to provide open-ended responses about their personal experiences concerning STEM supports and barriers. In this study, an online survey was created based on existing literature on college student achievement. This survey was used to collect data from a sample of university students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors in order to assess their learning experiences and to determine statistically significant predictors of their persistence to completion of their program of study. Regression analysis revealed that ability to pay and financial pressure was a statistically significant factor for student perception of intention to drop out of college. Regression analysis also revealed that academic quality was a statistically significant factor for student perception of intention to change majors. Qualitative analysis revealed several factors that students perceived as barriers to completing a STEM degree including financial pressure, difficulty of courses and ability to interact with faculty and staff. Implications of the study included providing peer mentoring and faculty mentoring for students, implementing scholarships and internship opportunities as well as exposing students to the support services available on campus. [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.]