Reintegration into civilian life as nontraditional learners pursuing a four-year bachelor's degree remains a challenging career transition and goal achievement for many student veterans seeking career advancement through higher education. There is insufficient research on student veterans' academic achievement, knowledge about perceptions and experiences with the academic environment, and information regarding what factors contributed to degree completion. This dissertation investigated factors contributing to academic persistence and achieving graduating status among senior four-year college student veterans. The guiding research question asked: "What experiences of veteran undergraduate senior-year students led to successful college persistence and graduation status?" This qualitative study explored the academic experiences of nontraditional senior-year student veterans tracked to graduate during the fall of 2022 and spring semester of 2023 studying at private, public, and online institutions. Using snowball sampling facilitated the recruitment of 10 volunteers within the continental U. S. who agreed to participate in the data collection using MS Teams audio conferences with individual interview sessions and semi-structured open-ended interview questions. Data analysis using In-Vivo and thematic coding generated 10 themes: (a) developing as learners through military education and career advancement; (b) transferring noncognitive skills; (c) impactful learning environments; (d) unfavorable learning environments; (e) faculty competencies; (f) connecting content to life experiences and the professional world; (g) improving learning through relevant formative and summative assessments; (h) personalized constructive feedback; (i) advocating for student veterans' success; and (j) influential internal and external motivating sources. The qualitative data analysis indicated that a growth mindset combined with self-determination to complete their undergraduate degree, self-regulation, and self-efficacy skills contributed to persistence and achieving graduating status. Data findings also revealed the impact of academic learning environments and instructors' competencies in educating and preparing learners to gain the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to meet the demands of the labor market in the career field they selected. This research study investigated nontraditional undergraduate senior-year student veterans in private, public, and online universities. Future inquiries should examine specific academic disciplines, distinguishing between the traditional and the online learning environment, focusing on other nontraditional groups like law enforcement, refugees, crime victims, ex-convicts, and minorities. In addition, further research on the academic environment is needed to learn about effective teaching practices comparing the first and last years in college. [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.]