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The study examined whether select non-cognitive variables such as, (Sedlacek, 1989, 1991, 1993, 2004; Tracey & Sedlacek 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989) impacted the academic achievement, retention and graduation rates of culturally diverse academic scholarship students at a predominantly white higher education institutions. The subjects of the study were academic scholarship students, Woodford R. Porter Scholars, who graduated from University of Louisville, a 1997-199 Porter Scholar cohort and a cohort of Porter Scholars who dropped-out/stopped-out that were surveyed as to why they left UofL. The Woodford R. Porter Scholarship program was created as a recruitment strategy to ameliorate the discrimination in the Commonwealth of Kentucky's maintenance of vestiges of segregation. As an Adams state, Kentucky ("Adams v Bell, 711, F. 2d 161, 16566 (majority opinion, 20607 dissent) (D. C. Cir. 1983)", "Adams v Califano, 430 F. Supp. 118 (D. D. C. 1977)", "Adams v Richardson, 356 F. Supp. 92 (D.D. C. 1973)" for violating "Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964" was mandated to create the Kentucky Plan. The University of Louisville, as a predominantly white higher education (PWI), it was important to describe the historical, contextual background and the perspectives of the University of Louisville's culture, stemming from its segregated liberal arts college Louisville Municipal College for Negroes (1931-1951) and value that history in the university culture. This study (1) identified non-cognitive variables that contribute to academic success; (2) determined the extent to which non-cognitive variables predict academic success and persistence; (3) explored adaptive issues regarding University of Louisville's culture and climate and (4) examined the impact of student aid and scholarship levels on the success of Woodford R. Porter Scholars. Through the voices of and lived experiences of Porter Scholar alumni, the study was able to identify a select group of non-cognitive variables: racism, parental influence, long term goals, academic and social integration, student financial aid; that impacted this cohort's academic success and retention. Evidence of long term goals as a non-cognitive variable were presented by the Porter Scholar Alumni focus interviews, the Porter Scholar Drop-out/Stop-out Survey responses and the creation of the Society of Porter Scholar (an academic honorary) by the Porter Scholars. The non-cognitive variable, parental influence was an unexpected variable found in the Porter Scholar Alumni focus interviews and that had a major influence on their academic success and retention. [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/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]