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 |
|---|---|---|
|
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg, PA |
91% | |
|
Grove City College
Grove City, PA |
91% | |
|
Illinois Wesleyan University
Bloomington, IL |
91% | |
|
Kalamazoo College
Kalamazoo, MI |
91% | |
|
Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, MA |
91% | |
|
St. John's University
Collegeville, MN |
91% | |
|
St. Lawrence University
Canton, NY |
91% | |
|
American Jewish University
Bel-Air, CA |
90% | |
|
Connecticut College
New London, CT |
90% | |
|
DePauw University
Greencastle, IN |
90% | |
|
Reed College
1
Portland, OR |
90% | |
|
St. John's College
1
Annapolis, MD |
90% | |
|
Stonehill College
Easton, MA |
90% | |
|
College of St. Benedict
St. Joseph, MN |
89% | |
|
College of Wooster
Wooster, OH |
89% | |
|
Denison University
Granville, OH |
89% | |
|
Hope College
Holland, MI |
89% | |
|
Knox College
Galesburg, IL |
89% | |
|
Lawrence University
Appleton, WI |
89% | |
|
Providence Christian College
1
Pasadena, CA |
89% | |
|
Rhodes College
Memphis, TN |
89% | |
|
St. Mary's College of Maryland
St. Mary's City, MD |
89% | |
|
United States Air Force Academy
USAF Academy, CO |
89% | |
|
Ursinus College
Collegeville, PA |
89% | |
|
Wofford College
Spartanburg, SC |
89% | |
|
Beloit College
Beloit, WI |
88% | |
|
Bennington College
Bennington, VT |
88% | |
|
Sewanee–University of the South
Sewanee, TN |
88% | |
|
Spelman College
Atlanta, GA |
88% | |
|
St. Michael's College
Colchester, VT |
88% | |
|
Willamette University
Salem, OR |
88% | |
|
Allegheny College
Meadville, PA |
87% | |
|
Bard College
Annandale on Hudson, NY |
87% | |
|
Calvin College
Grand Rapids, MI |
87% | |
|
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Geneva, NY |
87% | |
|
Luther College
Decorah, IA |
87% | |
|
Principia College
Elsah, IL |
87% | |
|
Siena College
Loudonville, NY |
87% | |
|
Augustana College
Rock Island, IL |
86% | |
|
Houghton College
Houghton, NY |
86% | |
|
University of Puget Sound
Tacoma, WA |
86% | |
|
Wabash College
Crawfordsville, IN |
86% | |
|
Westminster College
New Wilmington, PA |
86% | |
|
Westmont College
Santa Barbara, CA |
86% | |
|
Wheaton College
Norton, MA |
86% | |
|
College of the Atlantic
Bar Harbor, ME |
85% | |
|
Gordon College
Wenham, MA |
85% | |
|
Hendrix College
Conway, AR |
85% | |
|
Juniata College
Huntingdon, PA |
85% | |
|
Lewis & Clark College
Portland, OR |
85% |
