17749. FACILITATING SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION AMONG HISPANIC SECOND YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS. Although the numbers of US Hispanics enrolling in and obtaining degrees from post-secondary institutions have increased dramatically over the past decade, Hispanic retention and matriculation rates remain low. This paper presents a proposal for a research study investigating the variables influencing retention among Hispanic second-year returning students at a Major University (MU). Prior research investigating post-secondary educational persistence among Hispanics is reviewed. The proposed study will use a qualitative and phenomenological approach with in-depth interviews of 3 MU student groups: Hispanic students that dropped out after their freshman year; Hispanic students with sophomore or junior year status; and 3) Hispanic alumni with a degree from MU. Data will be analyzed using the constant comparative method. KEYWORDS: research design qualitative study interviews hispanic higher education mexican americans college students academic persistence college retention matriculation graduation. Strict APA Style throughout. 15 pages, 69 footnotes, 22 bibliographic sources. 4,434 words.