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The problem investigated in this study was the trend of decreasing student retention of first-year, degree-seeking college students at an independent community college located in northeastern New Mexico. The purpose of the study was to examine the association between student retention and program utilization. The research question was to determine if statistically significant differences existed between first-year students at an independent community college in northeastern New Mexico who did and did not utilize government-funded tutoring programs, which is a peer-led program managed by the Center for Academic Excellence. The theoretical foundation for the study was Tinto’s student retention theory model. Random sampling was used to select 80 degree-seeking students from the 2021 cohort. A Chi-Square Test of Association was conducted on the archival to determine if there was any statistically significant difference between first-year students who did and did not utilize first-year programs. An analysis of first-year, full-time student data from the study site demonstrated that first-year, full-time students did not differ among students who utilized government-funded tutoring programs. Further examination of student retention is recommended. Efforts to improve retention must have strategies to improve student success. The findings could possibly result in positive social change through aiding institutional education leaders to have a better understanding of how declining student retention rates are related to utilization or nonutilization of first-year programs. This could potentially help to enhance institutional efforts to support and develop successful first-year programs that may assist and empower students, so they remain at the institution to continue towards their educational goals.