Researchers recognize faith and spirituality as potential influences on goal attainment. However, the resources of faith, spirituality, and faith development have lost presence in higher education in favor of other student support initiatives, and students may have an unclear understanding of their personal 'faith and or spirituality' throughout their academic journey. When adversity occurs, students may not naturally draw upon their faith or spirituality as a resource. Resources such as Bible classes, campus clubs, and spiritual group affiliations may endorse or encourage strong, supportive student interactions while attending college. This qualitative study explored how college students use faith and spirituality to cope with adversity. The researcher used a predetermined set of questions to interview students regarding their personal experiences with spirituality and faith as they persisted toward their educational attainment. Qualitative studies may include a flexible research design in an attempt to explain, define, or better understand phenomena, such as the role of faith or spirituality with respect to retention or persistence in a post-secondary educational setting. The theoretical framework for this qualitative study derived from grounded theory, and Spiritual and Faith development theory. Knowing and understanding faith and spirituality can provide a retention tool for students as they persist toward degree completion. The study will help inform college administrators and educators of the potential benefits of including faith and spirituality as resources in supporting students in higher education. The primary research questions used to guide the research interview: 1) What role does spirituality play in academic goal attainment? 2) How do students describe spirituality? 3) How do students describe the goal of spirituality and goal attainment? 4) What are students' perceptions of spirituality and their retention in school? 5) What role do students perceive that spirituality plays in their ability to handle adversity? [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.]