This exploratory study attempted to determine if there were specific precollege or college experiences that female engineering students have had that impacted their perceived social self-confidence. Particularly, the study focused on female engineering students enrolled at private institutions of higher education. The study focused on private institutions of higher education because 14 of the 15 top institutions in the United States that had the highest percentage of engineering bachelor's degrees awarded to women were private in 2018 (Roy, 2019). The theoretical framework for this exploratory study was Astin's student involvement theory. The conceptual framework used for this study was Astin's input-environment-output (IEO) college impact model. The output variable, or the hypothesized dependent variable for this study, was female engineering students' perceived social self-confidence, as reported on the Higher Education Research Institute CIRP Freshman Survey (TFS) and College Senior Survey (CSS). This exploratory study examined 174 variables from TFS and CSS to determine if any of these variables had an impact on the output or dependent variable. A blocked form of stepwise regression was used to determine which variables from TFS and CSS had a statistically significant impact on female engineering students' perceived social self-confidence. The study identified 10 variables found to have a statistically significant influence on female engineering students' perceived social self-confidence. [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.]