The Latino population is the fastest-growing community in the United States yet falls behind in the percentage of students who successfully graduate from college compared to other cultural groups. While trends of Latino students applying to college are on the rise, many cannot successfully obtain a degree due to detrimental barriers. These obstacles can include financial concerns, difficulty adjusting to college, lack of social and cultural capital, and insufficient academic preparation. One group that significantly struggles within the Latino community is first-generation students, described as the first in their family to attend college. Higher education institutions have made strides in building programs and initiatives geared toward elevating first-generation Latino college students to overcome challenges; however, barriers persist in this community. One outreach program, a pre-college program hosted by a Texas Hispanic Serving Institution, aims to build success attributes in students to increase success, retention, and degree attainment among this group. The research questions of the study aimed to understand how the pre-college program pillars impact retention and success among first-generation Latino college students. Using a quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional research design to conduct a program evaluation, the program pillars were examined to assess perceived influence the target audience credit to their retention and success. Data, which were collected using an online questionnaire, was evaluated using various methods including factor analysis and repeated measures analysis of variance. Results showed that the pre-college program pillar of grit (determination) significantly impacted first-generation Latino college student retention and success. Non-pre-college program pillars were also evaluated using descriptive analysis to understand additional factors that contribute to retention and success among first-generation Latino students. Self-determination was the most significant factor, outside the pre-college program, participants believe contributed to their retention and success. [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.]