Best Colleges: Average Freshmen Retention Rates: Liberal Arts Colleges
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: | |
|---|---|
| Pomona College Claremont, CA | 98.5% |
| Bowdoin College Brunswick, ME | 97.8% |
| Amherst College Amherst, MA | 97.2% |
| Williams College Williamstown, MA | 97.0% |
| Carleton College Northfield, MN | 96.5% |
| Swarthmore College Swarthmore, PA | 96.5% |
| United States Naval Academy Annapolis, MD | 96.2% |
| Haverford College Haverford, PA | 96.2% |
| Claremont McKenna College Claremont, CA | 96.0% |
| Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY | 95.8% |
| Davidson College Davidson, NC | 95.8% |
| College of the Holy Cross Worcester, MA | 95.5% |
| Wesleyan University Middletown, CT | 95.0% |
| Barnard College New York, NY | 95.0% |
| Bucknell University Lewisburg, PA | 95.0% |
| Middlebury College Middlebury, VT | 95.0% |
| Harvey Mudd College Claremont, CA | 94.8% |
| Wheaton College Wheaton, IL | 94.8% |
| Wellesley College Wellesley, MA | 94.8% |
| Bates College Lewiston, ME | 94.5% |
| Washington and Lee University Lexington, VA | 94.5% |
| Colby College Waterville, ME | 94.2% |
| Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO | 94.0% |
| Whitman College Walla Walla, WA | 94.0% |
| Hamilton College Clinton, NY | 93.8% |
| Lafayette College Easton, PA | 93.8% |
| Colgate University Hamilton, NY | 93.5% |
| Oberlin College Oberlin, OH | 93.5% |
| Bryn Mawr College Bryn Mawr, PA | 93.5% |
| Grinnell College Grinnell, IA | 93.0% |
| Mount Holyoke College South Hadley, MA | 93.0% |
| Macalester College St. Paul, MN | 93.0% |
| Kenyon College Gambier, OH | 93.0% |
| Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY | 92.8% |
| Muhlenberg College Allentown, PA | 92.8% |
| St. Olaf College Northfield, MN | 92.5% |
| Furman University Greenville, SC | 92.2% |
| Occidental College Los Angeles, CA | 92.0% |
| Union College Schenectady, NY | 92.0% |
| Franklin and Marshall College Lancaster, PA | 92.0% |
| Scripps College Claremont, CA | 91.8% |
| Illinois Wesleyan University Bloomington, IL | 91.5% |
| United States Military Academy West Point, NY | 91.5% |
| Grove City College Grove City, PA | 91.5% |
| Trinity College Hartford, CT | 91.2% |
| Centre College Danville, KY | 91.2% |
| Gettysburg College Gettysburg, PA | 91.2% |
| Pitzer College Claremont, CA | 90.8% |
| Connecticut College New London, CT | 90.8% |
| Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo, MI | 90.8% |
| Dickinson College Carlisle, PA | 90.8% |
| Wofford College Spartanburg, SC | 90.8% |
| University of Richmond Univ. of Richmond, VA | 90.8% |
| Smith College Northampton, MA | 90.0% |
| Reed College Portland, OR | 90.0% |
| Ursinus College Collegeville, PA | 90.0% |
| Spelman College Atlanta, GA | 89.8% |
| DePauw University Greencastle, IN | 89.8% |
| College of St. Benedict St. Joseph, MN | 89.5% |
| Denison University Granville, OH | 89.5% |
| St. Mary's College of Maryland St. Mary's City, MD | 89.2% |
| Gustavus Adolphus College St. Peter, MN | 89.2% |
| St. John's University Collegeville, MN | 89.2% |
| Hope College Holland, MI | 89.0% |
| St. Lawrence University Canton, NY | 88.8% |
| Sewanee--University of the South Sewanee, TN | 88.8% |
| St. Michael's College Colchester, VT | 88.8% |
| Knox College Galesburg, IL | 88.5% |
| Beloit College Beloit, WI | 88.5% |
| Allegheny College Meadville, PA | 88.2% |
| Lawrence University Appleton, WI | 88.2% |
| Thomas Aquinas College Santa Paula, CA | 88.0% |
| Westmont College Santa Barbara, CA | 88.0% |
| Stonehill College Easton, MA | 88.0% |
| Hillsdale College Hillsdale, MI | 88.0% |
| Calvin College Grand Rapids, MI | 87.8% |
| Rhodes College Memphis, TN | 87.8% |
| Wabash College Crawfordsville, IN | 87.5% |
| Siena College Loudonville, NY | 87.2% |
| Willamette University Salem, OR | 87.2% |
| College of Wooster Wooster, OH | 87.0% |
| Southwestern University Georgetown, TX | 86.8% |
| Bard College Annandale on Hudson, NY | 86.5% |
| Augustana College Rock Island, IL | 86.0% |
| Morehouse College Atlanta, GA | 85.8% |
| Wheaton College Norton, MA | 85.8% |
| Albion College Albion, MI | 85.8% |
| Lewis & Clark College Portland, OR | 85.8% |
| Washington and Jefferson College Washington, PA | 85.8% |
| Ripon College Ripon, WI | 85.8% |
| Westminster College New Wilmington, PA | 85.7% |
| Gordon College Wenham, MA | 85.5% |
| Hobart and William Smith Colleges Geneva, NY | 85.5% |
| Bennington College Bennington, VT | 85.5% |
| University of Minnesota--Morris Morris, MN | 85.2% |
| Moravian College Bethlehem, PA | 85.2% |
| St. Vincent College Latrobe, PA | 85.2% |
| University of Puget Sound Tacoma, WA | 85.2% |
| Susquehanna University Selinsgrove, PA | 85.0% |
| Hendrix College Conway, AR | 84.8% |
| St. Mary's College Notre Dame, IN | 84.5% |
| Luther College Decorah, IA | 84.5% |
| St. Anselm College Manchester, NH | 84.5% |
| College of the Atlantic Bar Harbor, ME | 84.2% |
| Juniata College Huntingdon, PA | 84.2% |
| St. Norbert College De Pere, WI | 84.2% |
| Transylvania University Lexington, KY | 84.0% |
| McDaniel College Westminster, MD | 84.0% |
| Earlham College Richmond, IN | 83.5% |
| Presbyterian College Clinton, SC | 83.5% |
| Austin College Sherman, TX | 83.5% |
| New College of Florida Sarasota, FL | 83.2% |
| Washington College Chestertown, MD | 83.2% |
| Houghton College Houghton, NY | 83.2% |
| Goshen College Goshen, IN | 83.0% |
| Drew University Madison, NJ | 82.8% |
| Cornell College Mount Vernon, IA | 82.5% |
| Berea College Berea, KY | 82.0% |
| Nebraska Wesleyan University Lincoln, NE | 81.8% |
| Linfield College McMinnville, OR | 81.8% |
| Virginia Military Institute Lexington, VA | 81.8% |
| College of Idaho Caldwell, ID | 81.5% |
| Simpson College Indianola, IA | 81.5% |
| Goucher College Baltimore, MD | 81.5% |
| Fisk University Nashville, TN | 81.5% |
| Asbury College Wilmore, KY | 81.2% |
| Agnes Scott College Decatur, GA | 81.0% |
| Ohio Wesleyan University Delaware, OH | 80.8% |
| Cedar Crest College Allentown, PA | 80.8% |
| Lycoming College Williamsport, PA | 80.8% |
| Hanover College Hanover, IN | 80.5% |
| Coe College Cedar Rapids, IA | 80.5% |
| Central College Pella, IA | 80.2% |
| Georgetown College Georgetown, KY | 80.2% |
| Concordia College--Moorhead Moorhead, MN | 80.2% |
| Millsaps College Jackson, MS | 80.2% |
| Westminster College Fulton, MO | 80.2% |
| Alma College Alma, MI | 79.8% |
| Birmingham-Southern College Birmingham, AL | 79.7% |
| Hiram College Hiram, OH | 79.7% |
| Hampshire College Amherst, MA | 79.5% |
| Lake Forest College Lake Forest, IL | 79.2% |
| Hampden-Sydney College Hampden-Sydney, VA | 79.2% |
| William Jewell College Liberty, MO | 79.0% |
| Christopher Newport University Newport News, VA | 79.0% |
| Purchase College--SUNY Purchase, NY | 79.0% |
| Salem College Winston-Salem, NC | 78.8% |
| Eckerd College St. Petersburg, FL | 78.5% |
| Oglethorpe University Atlanta, GA | 78.5% |
| Wittenberg University Springfield, OH | 78.2% |
| Roanoke College Salem, VA | 78.2% |
| University of North Carolina--Asheville Asheville, NC | 78.0% |
| Whittier College Whittier, CA | 77.8% |
| Carroll College Helena, MT | 77.8% |
| Eastern Mennonite University Harrisonburg, VA | 77.8% |
| Baker University Baldwin City, KS | 77.5% |
| Merrimack College North Andover, MA | 77.5% |
| Centenary College of Louisiana Shreveport, LA | 77.2% |
| Mount Union College Alliance, OH | 77.2% |
| Russell Sage College Troy, NY | 77.0% |
| Berry College Mount Berry, GA | 76.8% |
| Wartburg College Waverly, IA | 76.8% |
| Millikin University Decatur, IL | 76.5% |
| Clarke College Dubuque, IA | 76.0% |
| Sweet Briar College Sweet Briar, VA | 75.2% |
| University of Wisconsin--Green Bay Green Bay, WI | 75.2% |
| Wisconsin Lutheran College Milwaukee, WI | 75.0% |
| Doane College Crete, NE | 75.0% |
| Albertus Magnus College New Haven, CT | 74.8% |
| Bridgewater College Bridgewater, VA | 74.8% |
| Randolph-Macon College Ashland, VA | 74.8% |
| Albright College Reading, PA | 74.5% |
| Hastings College Hastings, NE | 74.3% |
| Illinois College Jacksonville, IL | 74.2% |
| Meredith College Raleigh, NC | 74.2% |
| Monmouth College Monmouth, IL | 73.8% |
| Hartwick College Oneonta, NY | 73.8% |
| Randolph College Lynchburg, VA | 73.8% |
| West Virginia Wesleyan College Buckhannon, WV | 73.8% |
| Concordia College Bronxville, NY | 73.5% |
| Hollins University Roanoke, VA | 73.5% |
| SUNY College--Old Westbury Old Westbury, NY | 73.5% |
| Tougaloo College Tougaloo, MS | 73.2% |
| Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts North Adams, MA | 73.0% |
| Marlboro College Marlboro, VT | 73.0% |
| Wells College Aurora, NY | 72.8% |
| Stephens College Columbia, MO | 72.2% |
| Northland College Ashland, WI | 72.2% |
| Maryville College Maryville, TN | 72.0% |
| University of Maine--Machias Machias, ME | 71.8% |
| Brigham Young University--Hawaii Laie Oahu, HI | 71.5% |
| Guilford College Greensboro, NC | 71.2% |
| North Greenville University Tigerville, SC | 71.0% |
| Wingate University Wingate, NC | 70.8% |
| Bethel College North Newton, KS | 70.5% |
| Bethany College Bethany, WV | 70.2% |
| Wesleyan College Macon, GA | 70.0% |
| Green Mountain College Poultney, VT | 70.0% |
| Lyon College Batesville, AR | 69.8% |
| Warren Wilson College Asheville, NC | 69.8% |
| Evangel University Springfield, MO | 69.2% |
| California State University--Monterey Bay Seaside, CA | 69.0% |
| Sierra Nevada College Incline Village, NV | 68.7% |
| Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC | 68.2% |
| University of Hawaii--Hilo Hilo, HI | 68.0% |
| Texas Lutheran University Seguin, TX | 67.8% |
| University of Virginia--Wise Wise, VA | 67.8% |
| Virginia Wesleyan College Norfolk, VA | 67.8% |
| Emory and Henry College Emory, VA | 67.5% |
| Bloomfield College Bloomfield, NJ | 67.0% |
| Lane College Jackson, TN | 66.8% |
| Carson-Newman College Jefferson City, TN | 66.5% |
| Olivet College Olivet, MI | 66.2% |
| Franklin Pierce University Rindge, NH | 66.0% |
| Marymount Manhattan College New York, NY | 65.5% |
| Huntingdon College Montgomery, AL | 65.0% |
| McPherson College McPherson, KS | 65.0% |
| Bennett College Greensboro, NC | 65.0% |
| Metropolitan State College of Denver Denver, CO | 64.5% |
| Johnson C. Smith University Charlotte, NC | 64.5% |
| Peace College Raleigh, NC | 64.5% |
| Sterling College Sterling, KS | 64.0% |
| Kentucky Wesleyan College Owensboro, KY | 63.2% |
| Pine Manor College Chestnut Hill, MA | 63.2% |
| University of Wisconsin--Parkside Kenosha, WI | 62.8% |
| Colorado State University--Pueblo Pueblo, CO | 62.5% |
| St. Andrews Presbyterian College Laurinburg, NC | 62.2% |
| Simpson University Redding, CA | 62.0% |
| Dillard University New Orleans, LA | 62.0% |
| Thiel College Greenville, PA | 61.8% |
| Lambuth University Jackson, TN | 60.5% |
| Judson College Marion, AL | 59.0% |
| Paine College Augusta, GA | 58.2% |
| West Virginia State University Institute, WV | 58.0% |
| Fort Lewis College Durango, CO | 57.5% |
| Greensboro College Greensboro, NC | 57.2% |
| Brevard College Brevard, NC | 57.0% |
| Jarvis Christian College Hawkins, TX | 57.0% |
| Mesa State College Grand Junction, CO | 56.0% |
| Ferrum College Ferrum, VA | 56.0% |
| Atlantic Union College South Lancaster, MA | 55.8% |
| Rust College Holly Springs, MS | 55.2% |
| Lindsey Wilson College Columbia, KY | 52.8% |
| Huston-Tillotson University Austin, TX | 47.5% |
| Talladega College Talladega, AL | 41.2% |
| American Jewish University Bel Air, CA | 23.8% |
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