Chicano student achievement remains low at virtually all stages of the educational pipeline but the low rates of postsecondary matriculation and persistence are especially alarming. Tinto (1993) has described student persistence in higher education as a longitudinal process of interaction between an individual student and his/her institutional environment that is driven by the degree of congruence between student and institution. The registrar's office at three institutions, California State University, a California Community College, and the University of California, provided a list of randomly selected students who self-identified as Chicanos. Each student was mailed a questionnaire near the end of a quarter or semester to obtain responses reflecting a minimum of one entire academic year. The students' responses indicated a high degree of biculturalism (comfort and proficiency in both Chicano and U.S. cultural domains) and that their ethic identity as Chicano was salient. There was also a dominant response pattern in the student's perceptions of their institution's commitment to Chicanos. Students had high, positive perceptions of their institutions on only a few variables, mainly admissions policies and support services. Responses were neutral in areas of cultural democracy including support for Chicano organizations and support for affirmative action. Also, students reported high levels of stress in personal, family, and financial areas. (Contains 41 references.) (JLS)