Best Colleges: Average Freshmen Retention Rates: Baccalaureate Colleges (Midwest)
As many as one in three first-year students doesn't make it back for sophomore year. The reasons run the gamut, of course, from family problems to loneliness to academic struggles to a lack of money. If schools you're considering have a low freshman retention rate, you'll want to ask the admissions office why. Some colleges do a great job of taking care of their freshmen; some don't. The retention rates shown below, from lowest to highest, are the average proportion of freshmen entering starting in 2005 thru 2008 who returned to school the following fall.
| Average freshman retention rate: | |
|---|---|
| Taylor University Upland, IN | 86.5% |
| College of the Ozarks Point Lookout, MO | 83.2% |
| Cedarville University Cedarville, OH | 83.2% |
| Ohio Northern University Ada, OH | 82.5% |
| Dordt College Sioux Center, IA | 82.0% |
| Northwestern College St. Paul, MN | 80.5% |
| Augustana College Sioux Falls, SD | 77.8% |
| Grace College and Seminary Winona Lake, IN | 77.2% |
| Bethel College Mishawaka, IN | 77.0% |
| Northwestern College Orange City, IA | 77.0% |
| Concordia University Seward, NE | 77.0% |
| Milwaukee School of Engineering Milwaukee, WI | 76.0% |
| McKendree University Lebanon, IL | 75.8% |
| Trinity Christian College Palos Heights, IL | 75.5% |
| Huntington University Huntington, IN | 75.5% |
| Mount Mercy College Cedar Rapids, IA | 75.5% |
| Carthage College Kenosha, WI | 75.0% |
| Loras College Dubuque, IA | 74.8% |
| York College York, NE | 74.8% |
| Mount Vernon Nazarene University Mount Vernon, OH | 74.5% |
| Eureka College Eureka, IL | 74.0% |
| Marian College Indianapolis, IN | 73.5% |
| St. Mary-of-the-Woods College St. Mary-of-the-Woods, IN | 73.2% |
| Marietta College Marietta, OH | 73.2% |
| Franklin College Franklin, IN | 73.0% |
| Jamestown College Jamestown, ND | 73.0% |
| Buena Vista University Storm Lake, IA | 72.5% |
| Maranatha Baptist Bible College Watertown, WI | 72.5% |
| Bluffton University Bluffton, OH | 72.5% |
| Judson University Elgin, IL | 72.2% |
| Morningside College Sioux City, IA | 71.2% |
| Greenville College Greenville, IL | 71.0% |
| Manchester College North Manchester, IN | 71.0% |
| Union College Lincoln, NE | 70.8% |
| Dakota State University Madison, SD | 70.5% |
| North Central University Minneapolis, MN | 70.0% |
| Kendall College Chicago, IL | 69.8% |
| Quincy University Quincy, IL | 69.8% |
| Concordia University Ann Arbor, MI | 69.2% |
| Adrian College Adrian, MI | 68.8% |
| St. Joseph's College Rensselaer, IN | 68.5% |
| Wilmington College Wilmington, OH | 68.2% |
| University of Minnesota--Crookston Crookston, MN | 68.2% |
| Hannibal-LaGrange College Hannibal, MO | 68.2% |
| Grand View University Des Moines, IA | 68.0% |
| Chadron State College Chadron, NE | 68.0% |
| Lake Erie College Painesville, OH | 68.0% |
| Crown College St. Bonifacius, MN | 67.8% |
| University of Sioux Falls Sioux Falls, SD | 67.8% |
| Northern State University Aberdeen, SD | 67.5% |
| Briar Cliff University Sioux City, IA | 66.5% |
| Tabor College Hillsboro, KS | 66.0% |
| Culver-Stockton College Canton, MO | 65.8% |
| Trine University Angola, IN | 65.5% |
| Midland Lutheran College Fremont, NE | 65.5% |
| MacMurray College Jacksonville, IL | 65.0% |
| Peru State College Peru, NE | 65.0% |
| Valley City State University Valley City, ND | 64.8% |
| Ottawa University Ottawa, KS | 64.7% |
| Notre Dame College of Ohio Cleveland, OH | 64.5% |
| University of Dubuque Dubuque, IA | 64.2% |
| College of St. Mary Omaha, NE | 63.8% |
| Defiance College Defiance, OH | 63.8% |
| Lake Superior State University Sault Ste. Marie, MI | 63.2% |
| Waldorf College Forest City, IA | 63.0% |
| Blackburn College Carlinville, IL | 62.8% |
| Missouri Southern State University Joplin, MO | 62.8% |
| Wilberforce University Wilberforce, OH | 61.3% |
| Dickinson State University Dickinson, ND | 61.0% |
| Central Methodist University Fayette, MO | 60.8% |
| Dana College Blair, NE | 60.2% |
| Bethany College Lindsborg, KS | 59.5% |
| Dakota Wesleyan University Mitchell, SD | 59.5% |
| Shawnee State University Portsmouth, OH | 59.0% |
| Rochester College Rochester Hills, MI | 59.0% |
| Mayville State University Mayville, ND | 58.2% |
| Indiana University East Richmond, IN | 58.0% |
| Central Christian College McPherson, KS | 57.0% |
| Kansas Wesleyan University Salina, KS | 56.5% |
| Robert Morris College Chicago, IL | 55.8% |
| Indiana University--Kokomo Kokomo, IN | 55.2% |
| William Penn University Oskaloosa, IA | 54.2% |
| Black Hills State University Spearfish, SD | 53.3% |
| Iowa Wesleyan College Mount Pleasant, IA | 53.0% |
| Purdue University--North Central Westville, IN | 52.8% |
| Central State University Wilberforce, OH | 50.5% |
| Harris-Stowe State University St. Louis, MO | 47.8% |
| Chancellor University Cleveland, OH | 44.5% |
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