This study looks at the experience’s student-athletes believe to have contributed to their academic success. The researcher used the four areas of Tinto’s (1993) Longitudinal Model of Institutional Departure as a framework to determine the role that formal and informal academic experiences, as well as formal and informal social experiences, play in the academic success of this student population. This study was conducted with data from a single, public NCAA Division I university. The institution fields eight men’s and eight women’s sports. There were nine participants in this study eight women and one man from four sports: golf, basketball, and men and women’s track and field. A qualitative, interview-based research design was used to gain a better understanding of the experiences and activities associated with being a student-athlete at the research institution (Rossman & Rallis, 2012). Each interview was transcribed and coded for common themes. The findings in this study were organized by themes found in the interviews and associated with the students’ formal and informal academic and social experiences. The study found that there are several experiences that contribute and act as barriers to the academic success of student-athletes. The results show that there were several contributors to the academic success of student-athletes. Interactions with academic advisors, faculty, coaches, and non-athletic peers proved to be important in helping students navigate their educational experiences. Time management and stress were two additional themes that emerged that were determined to be barriers to student-athletes’ success. Additional research is suggested to determine how to help student-athletes better connect with experiences that have been identified to enhance their academic experiences.