Student retention is an education quality key performance indicator in postsecondary institutions, which effect ranking and related to reputation of the institution. It is a multidimensional key factor widely used by postsecondary institutions for improving the quality of academic programs. In this paper, we examine the student retention rates at the University of Sharjah (UOS), United Arab Emirates from the point of view of the factors contributing to student retention. Factors investigated include teaching and learning approaches as well as student experiences and life on campus, which found greatly influence students' persistence. Our findings indicate that student retention rates are comparable to institutions in the region. In addition, we investigated strategies to improve student retention at UOS, which focus on increasing student engagement in and outside the classroom as well as improving student services and academic support services.