National Student Clearinghouse Research Center data indicates persistence and retention for fall 2024 first-time cohorts remains strong. The reported fall-to-spring persistence rate is 85.8%, and the fall-to-fall rate for the following year reaches 77.1%—the highest level in a decade. The results include encouraging improvements for Black and Hispanic students, who posted their highest observed return rates in the past decade. Even with gains, the data continues to show gaps by race/ethnicity, reinforcing the need for institutions to target onboarding, advising, and retention supports in ways that reduce the risk of early disengagement.