The student retention of freshman students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities as of recent has been comparably low which leads to low graduation rates. To understand this phenomenon, there is a need to investigate the factors that impact the enrollment and retention of freshman students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. It is estimated that half of all entering college will drop out before earning a degree, which makes retention of students in higher education an ongoing problem. The purpose of this research was to make recommendations of how HBCU Institutions could effectively implement strategies and programs designed to retain freshman students at their institution of choice until their graduation. A qualitative phenomenological design was used to collect the lived experiences of 11 participants selected from one HBCU Institution. The data was then collected, and analyzed as the findings were presented in narrative form. The results indicated that majority of the freshman students at HBCUs are susceptible to various factors including the student's environment and social experience which impacts student retention. The results also revealed that HBCUs are effectively putting in place strategic systems and programs to combat retention decline. The study recommends that future researchers should investigate the role the student's family plays in student retention rates of freshman at HBCUs. [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.]