This study examined college admission criteria and college readiness in an effort to reduce barriers in college admission. The Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) was administered to a convenience sample of 74 participants among 503 students during their first semester at a two-year college. Scale scores were compared to demographic characteristics, high-school GPAs, ACT scores, and college GPAs. The study found little significance among variables. Examining motivation provided insights into how recent high-school graduates approached their first semester of college, but intrinsic and extrinsic motivation were not found to contribute to satisfactory academic progress. Key conclusions included a significant relationship between ethnicity and satisfactory academic progress: non-White students were more likely to achieve academic success than White students. (non-White students were of predominantly Southeast Asian descent). Female students exhibited higher levels of motivation in four motivational constructs: "intrinsic motivation toward accomplishment," "extrinsic motivation identified," "extrinsic motivation introjected and extrinsic motivation external regulation." Aligning with previous research, the study concluded that ACT scores and high school GPAs do not contribute to satisfactory academic progress; however, high school GPAs had a strong positive correlation with first semester college GPAs. Finally, strong positive correlations were discovered between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation constructs. Participants with higher extrinsic motivation also exhibited higher levels of intrinsic motivation. This study supports a deeper understanding of self-determination theory (SDT) and more studies of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation among post-secondary learners. The findings of this study have implications for college admissions and redefining college readiness. [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://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]