The problem addressed in this study was that online college learners were experiencing a high attrition rate during the first year of participation (Jobe et al., 2018). The purpose of this qualitative exploratory case study was to examine the lived experiences of online college learners, which influenced students completing online college courses in the first year. Tinto's model of student departure guided the theoretical framework for this study. A qualitative exploratory case study included participants who were online learners aged 18 and older, current undergraduates, and had completed at least one online course. Ten participants completed the open-ended questionnaire via Qualtrics, and seven finished the semi-structured interview questions via Zoom. The data collected were entered into NVivo qualitative data analysis software, and codes, categories, and themes were developed from the rich data collected. There were three research questions and six themes that tie into the theoretical framework. The themes allowed the researcher to understand the lived experiences of online learners in a real-world context, such as anxiety, fear, frustration, and becoming overwhelmed. Also, there were reasons for taking online courses, multitasking in a new learning environment, and the necessity of a student-teacher relationship to enhance student success. The last two themes reviewed the sense of community established by the university and the participants' suggestions to be implemented in the university practice to enhance first-year online student success. There were four recommendations for practice: developing a course for first-year learners, a sense of community between staff, counselors, and learners, peer-group interactions, and faculty interaction. There were three recommendations for future research to include expanding the framework to online learners, increasing the sample size, and incorporating instructors into the study to develop best practices for students and instructors. [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.]