This study, using responses from 1,040 students, explored predictive relationships between well-being variables (self-efficacy, optimism, hope, gratitude and grit) and intention to persist as an undergraduate. The combination of hope and gratitude significantly predicted variance in student persistence, suggesting further exploration of these measures for intervention and prevention of student attrition. This study is considered a pilot for a future longitudinal study of college student well-being and protective factors. The intended audience is college leaders interested in higher inference measures of student persistence.