Freshman Retention Rate | Rankings | Top National Universities

Freshman Retention Rate National Universities

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
	Tulane University New Orleans, LA	90%
	University of California–Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA	90%
	University of Miami Coral Gables, FL	90%
	Clark University Worcester, MA	89%
	Marquette University Milwaukee, WI	89%
	Miami University–Oxford Oxford, OH	89%
	Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX	89%
	Stony Brook University–SUNY Stony Brook, NY	89%
	University of Minnesota–Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN	89%
	Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO	88%
	Purdue University–West Lafayette West Lafayette, IN	88%
	Temple University Philadelphia, PA	88%
	University at Buffalo–SUNY Buffalo, NY	88%
	University of Denver Denver, CO	88%
	University of Massachusetts–Amherst Amherst, MA	88%
	University of New Hampshire Durham, NH	88%
	University of South Florida Tampa, FL	88%
	University of St. Thomas St. Paul, MN	88%
	University of Tulsa Tulsa, OK	88%
	Auburn University Auburn University, AL	87%
	Duquesne University Pittsburgh, PA	87%
	University of Central Florida Orlando, FL	87%
	University of Dayton Dayton, OH	87%
	University of South Carolina Columbia, SC	87%
	Clarkson University Potsdam, NY	86%

Save

School

Average freshman retention rate

Tulane University

New Orleans, LA

90%

University of California–Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, CA

90%

University of Miami

Coral Gables, FL

90%