Freshman Retention Rate National 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, from family problems and loneliness to academic struggles and 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 freshman; some don't. The retention rates shown below, from highest to lowest, are the average proportion of freshmen entering starting in fall 2007 through fall 2010 who returned to school the following fall.
| Save | School | Average freshman retention rate |
|---|---|---|
|
Grinnell College
Grinnell, IA |
94% | |
|
Hillsdale College
Hillsdale, MI |
94% | |
|
Macalester College
St. Paul, MN |
94% | |
|
Oberlin College
Oberlin, OH |
94% | |
|
Scripps College
Claremont, CA |
94% | |
|
Skidmore College
Saratoga Springs, NY |
94% | |
|
Washington and Lee University
Lexington, VA |
94% | |
|
Franklin and Marshall College
Lancaster, PA |
93% | |
|
Soka University of America
Aliso Viejo, CA |
93% | |
|
St. Olaf College
Northfield, MN |
93% | |
|
Union College
Schenectady, NY |
93% | |
|
United States Military Academy
West Point, NY |
93% | |
|
University of Richmond
Univ. of Richmond, VA |
93% | |
|
Whitman College
Walla Walla, WA |
93% | |
|
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr, PA |
92% | |
|
Gustavus Adolphus College
St. Peter, MN |
92% | |
|
Kenyon College
Gambier, OH |
92% | |
|
Muhlenberg College
Allentown, PA |
92% | |
|
Occidental College
Los Angeles, CA |
92% | |
|
Pitzer College
Claremont, CA |
92% | |
|
Smith College
Northampton, MA |
92% | |
|
Trinity College
Hartford, CT |
92% | |
|
Centre College
Danville, KY |
91% | |
|
Dickinson College
Carlisle, PA |
91% | |
|
Furman University
Greenville, SC |
91% |
