Approximately 50% of doctoral students do not complete their degrees. Attrition for online doctoral programs is 10% to 20% higher than traditional programs. This study's purpose was to understand online doctoral students' perceptions about the role of academic advisement in transitioning from coursework to independent research. Semi-structured interviews with 18 participants revealed six major themes pertaining to advising's role on persistence, the efficacy of advising, and potential improvements to advising. The major themes identified within and across three cases are: faculty advising is paramount, lack of process advisement, inconsistent advisement, peer advising is powerful, persistence comes from within, and doctoral research feels lonely. Further research is needed about online doctoral students' experience, particularly with respect to transitioning from coursework to independent research.