Research studies generally focus on mathematics achievement in college across various ethnic and gender subpopulations and have suggested that various factors such as mathematical ability, persistence, anxiety, attitudes, backgrounds, and exposure have been explanatory factors of mathematics achievement. This study explores nontraditional associating factors for the accruement of mathematical skills during the first year of college, including the role of factors pertaining to academic and social involvement, student study behavior, student perceptions of the quality of teaching, financial support, and awareness of prejudice. It involved testing a model of mathematics gain on a nationally representative sample of first-year college students by both gender and ethnicity. Results indicate that although many of the factors tested contributed to math gains for the entire sample, there were many marked differences when analyzed by gender or ethnicity. Measures of commitment and enrollment in higher level mathematics courses was found to best explain gains in mathematics. An interesting link between gains with full-time enrollment and commitment to completing the degree was also found. Another finding was that an environment perceived to be free of racial and gender related prejudices had positive implications toward mathematical gains for most students. Contains 50 references. (JRH)