A mobile station includes processing circuitry and a memory storing a preferred roaming list and system priority data. The processing circuitry is adapted to detect a communications event for a currently selected wireless communications system and update an entry in the system priority data to reflect the occurrence of the detected communications event. The use of stored statistical information improves the efficiency of the system selection and acquisition process. In operation, a group of wireless communications systems is selected from the preferred roaming list in accordance with a predetermined system acquisition procedure. The group is reprioritized using the priority data and the mobile station attempts to select the wireless communications system having the highest priority in the reprioritized group. The reprioritization may include sorting the group using the priority data and removing systems from the group that do not meet certain priority criteria.