Examined the relationship between emotional intelligence and academic retention. Participants were selected from a sample of 1270 young adults (368 men and 902 women) making the transition from high-school to university. Participants were recruited during the first week of classes in their first year at the university and completed a measure of emotional intelligence. Participants’ academic progress was tracked over the course of the year and students were divided into two groups. The first group consisted of students who withdrew from the university before their second year of study (N=213); the second group consisted of a matched sample (on the basis of age, gender and ethnicity) of students who remained at the university for a second year of study (N=213). Results revealed that students who persisted in their studies were significantly higher than those who withdrew on a broad range of emotional and social competencies.