This study of the correlation between the self-concept of black university students and their academic persistence supports previous research identifying the importance of self-efficacy in academic persistence. Forty of the 115 18-year-old, American-born black freshmen, who lived on campus at a large predominantly white university, volunteered to participate in the project. Twenty-four females and 16 males completed a Student Demographic Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Personal Competency Rating Scale (PCI). The PCI consists of 30 5-point Likert-type items designed to assess the extent to which individuals perceived themselves to possess competencies in the following areas: (1) social; (2) personal; (3) problem-solving; and (4) functional. A follow-up study of student enrollment status was performed immediately after the first semester of the participants' fourth academic year. Analysis was performed to determine the relationships among the following factors: (1) perceived personal competencies; (2) first-year grade point average (GPA); and (3) academic persistence over the four-year period. Findings indicate that those students who obtained higher freshman GPAs, and who perceived themselves as being more personally competent, tended to persist academically. Implications for the development of retention programs for black students on predominantly white campuses are discussed. Statistical data are included on four tables. A list of 12 references is also included. (FMW)