The demand for post-secondary education in the United States is on the rise, and currently represents an industry that serves approximately 18 million students, in over 3,000 institutions, and represents revenues that are approximately $600 billion annually. As the overall demand for higher education has increased, there has also been an increase in the number of entrants into the for-profit segment, growing by over 100% in the last decade alone. The problem is that private for-profit colleges and universities are facing issues associated with declining graduation rates including: a) a loss of revenue; b) an increased cost to recruit new students; and c) reduction in shareholder value. The graduation rates at for-profit institutions are low and have been declining, from a rate of 40.5% in 2006, to a rate of 32.0% in 2013. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to discover factors that contributed to the successful graduation of students attending a for-profit business college or university. By exploring the lived-experiences of these successful students during their education, this study identified factors and influences, both internal and external, that contributed to their success. Students who were included in this study were drawn from the pool of those who have already graduated with a business degree from a for-profit college or university, which eliminated any ethical and/or bias issues that might have arisen by including students who were currently in a program, and could have been influenced, by faculty or concerns over grades. The results of in-depth interviews demonstrated a strong feeling that the support from family and friends was a contributor to these participants completing their degree programs. Additionally, there was unanimous agreement that faculty was a major influence on the participants remaining in their programs, and achieving graduation. While the participants believed that the various student services offered by their institution could have been useful to them, there was a general feeling of dissatisfaction with how they were offered, inconsistency in delivery, and issues with the providers of the services.