Schools Ranked by Retention Rate

A college’s retention rate reflects the student body’s overall interest in the college. This figure can explain many factors that compose the attractiveness of a college, including the quality of its teaching staff, the relevance of the curriculum, and the perceived value of what is being taught. The retention rate figures are provided by the College Navigator database, offered by the U.S. Department of Education. College Navigator defines retention rate as the percentage of first-time bachelor’s (or equivalent) degree-seeking undergraduates from fall 2010 who enrolled again in fall 2011.

College Navigator did not have retention rate figures for all of the colleges on our list. We did not, however, want to penalize those colleges without data. To that end, we simply excluded those schools from the rankings in this category.

Rank School FT to PT
Faculty Ratio		 Institution
Fin. Aid Rate		 Acceptance Rate Retention Rate Graduation Rate Accred.
Years		 Default
Rate		 Job Place. Rate  
100 Florida International University 1.46 to 1 46% 51% 82% 43% 38 9% N/A  
100 Grand Valley State University 1.89 to 1 63% 83% 82% 63% 44 3% N/A  
100 Kansas State University 6.01 to 1 64% 99% 82% 56% 96 5% N/A  
100 Maryville University of Saint Louis 0.37 to 1 96% 67% 82% 68% 71 3% N/A  
100 Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences 69.67 to 1 75% 80% 82% 69% 38 1% N/A  
100 Regis University 0.32 to 1 89% 76% 82% 62% 90 7% N/A  
100 Rider University 0.73 to 1 96% 73% 82% 63% 57 7% N/A  
100 Savannah College of Art and Design 4.81 to 1 91% 49% 82% 64% 7 7% N/A  
100 Texas Tech University 5.85 to 1 33% 66% 82% 61% 84 8% N/A  
100 The New School 0.25 to 1 96% 69% 82% 60% 52 7% N/A  
100 University of Kentucky 5.27 to 1 45% 69% 82% 59% 97 4% N/A  
100 University of Northern Iowa 3.32 to 1 59% 77% 82% 67% 99 4% N/A  
100 Wilkes University 0.61 to 1 97% 75% 82% 58% 75 6% N/A  
114 Adelphi University 0.48 to 1 90% 69% 81% 66% 91 5% 50%  
114 Baldwin-Wallace College 0.83 to 1 99% 63% 81% 70% 99 3% N/A  
114 DeSales University 0.49 to 1 98% 73% 81% 69% 42 3% N/A  
114 Dordt College 1.70 to 1 100% 80% 81% 66% 43 3% N/A  
114 East Carolina University 4.98 to 1 39% 70% 81% 59% 85 3% 100%  
114 Goucher College 1.72 to 1 77% 73% 81% 70% 91 3% N/A  
114 Harding University 2.45 to 1 96% 72% 81% 63% 58 4% N/A  
114 Oregon State University 3.30 to 1 56% 81% 81% 61% 88 4% N/A  
114 Robert Morris University 0.90 to 1 98% 79% 81% 59% 44 4% N/A  
114 Seton Hall University 0.94 to 1 91% 85% 81% 66% 80 5% N/A  
114 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania 7.14 to 1 10% 67% 81% 59% 69 5% N/A  
114 SUNY College at Plattsburgh 1.31 to 1 44% 48% 81% 59% 60 4% N/A  
114 Valparaiso University 2.18 to 1 98% 74% 81% 71% 83 4% N/A  
114 Western Governors University 1.75 to 1 1% N/A 81% 18% 11 8% N/A  
128 Asbury University 0.97 to 1 89% 63% 80% 71% 72 6% N/A  
128 Charter College 0.31 to 1 0% N/A 80% 94% 24 18% N/A  
128 Eastern University 0.40 to 1 93% 74% 80% 66% 58 6% N/A  
128 Edgewood College 0.73 to 1 94% 72% 80% 51% 54 3% N/A  
128 Florida Institute of Technology 0.61 to 1 97% 57% 80% 56% 48 9% N/A  
128 George Fox University 0.94 to 1 94% 80% 80% 62% 53 3% N/A  
128 Georgia Southern University 7.15 to 1 11% 56% 80% 47% 77 7% N/A  
128 Hamline University 1.01 to 1 96% 71% 80% 68% 98 5% N/A  
128 Hofstra University 0.99 to 1 87% 59% 80% 58% 72 6% N/A  
128 Huntington University 0.74 to 1 98% 88% 80% 62% 51 4% N/A  
128 Ohio University-Main Campus 2.79 to 1 58% 86% 80% 65% 99 9% N/A  
128 Oklahoma State University-Main Campus 6.36 to 1 78% 82% 80% 62% 96 6% N/A  
128 Old Dominion University 1.53 to 1 24% 75% 80% 50% 51 5% N/A  
128 Salve Regina University 0.93 to 1 92% 70% 80% 73% 56 4% N/A  
128 SUNY College of Technology at Delhi 1.24 to 1 28% 57% 80% 37% 60 14% N/A  
128 University of Idaho 4.49 to 1 38% 61% 80% 51% 94 5% N/A  
128 University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point 3.86 to 1 6% 79% 80% 61% 96 4% N/A  
128 Webster University 0.14 to 1 85% 72% 80% 61% 87 8% N/A  
128 Westfield State University 0.87 to 1 26% 61% 80% 58% 55 5% N/A  
128 Winston-Salem State University 2.97 to 1 33% 62% 80% 41% 65 12% N/A  
128 Worcester State University 0.80 to 1 42% 65% 80% 47% 55 9% N/A  
149 Ball State University 4.63 to 1 42% 68% 79% 56% 87 5% N/A  
149 Clarkson College 4.25 to 1 73% 32% 79% 59% 28 5% N/A  
149 Eastern Illinois University 4.22 to 1 22% 68% 79% 59% 97 5% N/A  
149 Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University 3.48 to 1 25% 48% 79% 40% 77 18% N/A  
149 Florida Atlantic University 1.51 to 1 31% 35% 79% 43% 45 8% N/A  
149 Gannon University 1.23 to 1 99% 85% 79% 67% 61 4% N/A  
149 Grace College and Theological Seminary 1.36 to 1 100% 95% 79% 56% 36 4% N/A  
149 St. John's University-New York 0.73 to 1 95% 46% 79% 57% 91 10% N/A  
149 SUNY College at Oswego 1.26 to 1 39% 48% 79% 57% 62 8% N/A  
149 Texas State University-San Marcos 2.47 to 1 15% 77% 79% 56% 87 6% N/A  
149 University of Alabama at Birmingham 12.11 to 1 56% 72% 79% 45% 42 6% N/A  
149 University of Alabama in Huntsville 1.75 to 1 71% 64% 79% 45% 42 7% N/A  
149 University of Illinois at Chicago 1.64 to 1 59% 63% 79% 54% 42 4% N/A  
149 University of Massachusetts-Lowell 0.93 to 1 60% 64% 79% 50% 37 5% N/A  
149 University of Nevada-Reno 0.88 to 1 60% 88% 79% 51% 74 7% N/A  
149 University of St Francis 0.46 to 1 100% 44% 79% 63% 74 3% N/A  
165 Bob Jones University 3.71 to 1 53% N/A 78% 62% 6 4% N/A  
165 Central Washington University 2.64 to 1 59% 78% 78% 56% 94 5% 100%  
165 CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice 0.56 to 1 0% 47% 78% 30% 47 5% N/A  
165 Embry Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott 2.19 to 1 92% 82% 78% 57% N/A 6% 91%  
165 John Brown University 0.64 to 1 96% 73% 78% 66% 50 3% N/A  
165 Pace University-New York 0.53 to 1 98% 79% 78% 53% 55 5% N/A  
165 Rivier College 18.25 to 1 98% 81% 78% 37% 64 3% N/A  
165 Surry Community College 0.41 to 1 16% N/A 78% 22% 43 6% N/A  
165 The University of Findlay 4.14 to 1 99% 69% 78% 57% 79 6% N/A  
165 The University of Texas-Pan American 13.15 to 1 36% 70% 78% 42% 56 11% N/A  
165 University of Louisville 2.50 to 1 55% 75% 78% 51% 97 8% N/A  
165 University of Maine 2.46 to 1 67% 78% 78% 60% 83 7% N/A  
165 University of North Texas 2.67 to 1 48% 65% 78% 49% 87 10% N/A  
165 University of South Dakota 2.57 to 1 58% 89% 78% 48% 99 6% N/A  
165 University of the Incarnate Word 0.68 to 1 89% 95% 78% 43% 87 13% N/A  
165 West Virginia University 2.92 to 1 56% 87% 78% 57% 86 8% N/A  
181 Baker University 0.15 to 1 88% 92% 77% 55% 99 7% N/A  
181 California Baptist University 1.08 to 1 50% 74% 77% 55% 51 8% N/A  
181 Cornerstone University 69.00 to 1 100% 63% 77% 44% 35 6% N/A  
181 Kennesaw State University 1.28 to 1 3% 64% 77% 41% 44 9% N/A  
181 Lawrence Technological University 0.39 to 1 79% 47% 77% 44% 45 6% N/A  
181 Lewis University 0.53 to 1 99% 62% 77% 62% 49 7% N/A  
181 Mercy College of Northwest Ohio 0.65 to 1 39% 75% 77% 51% 17 6% N/A  
181 Minnesota State University-Mankato 1.49 to 1 24% 89% 77% 50% 96 5% N/A  
181 Napa Valley College 0.37 to 1 0% N/A 77% 31% 60 11% N/A  
181 Norwich University 0.92 to 1 98% 66% 77% 55% 79 4% N/A  
181 Oklahoma Baptist University 1.83 to 1 88% 66% 77% 51% 60 8% N/A  
181 The College of Saint Scholastica 0.95 to 1 97% 81% 77% 63% 81 5% N/A  
181 University of Arizona 3.56 to 1 71% 75% 77% 61% 95 6% N/A  
181 University of Baltimore 0.85 to 1 56% 32% 77% N/A 41 72% N/A  
181 University of Memphis 1.51 to 1 29% 66% 77% 38% 85 9% N/A  
181 University of Nebraska at Kearney 2.77 to 1 65% 86% 77% 61% 96 6% N/A  
181 University of North Dakota 10.18 to 1 48% 70% 77% 54% 99 4% N/A  
181 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater 4.48 to 1 11% 82% 77% 54% 97 5% N/A  
181 Wayne State University 1.59 to 1 76% 76% 77% 26% 97 10% N/A  
181 William Carey University 0.95 to 1 72% 83% 77% 51% 54 8% N/A  

Methodology

For each college, we gathered data for nine different metrics: the number of full-time faculty per part-time faculty member; institutional financial aid, acceptance, retention, graduation, job placement, and default rates; years accredited; and undergraduate tuition. Learn more