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  
494 Green Mountain College 1.57 to 1 95% 67% 63% 44% 78 10% N/A  
494 Hutchinson Community College 0.45 to 1 59% N/A 63% 30% 52 7% N/A  
494 Moraine Park Technical College 0.93 to 1 8% N/A 63% 40% 37 8% N/A  
494 Northeast Community College 0.61 to 1 25% N/A 63% 46% 33 17% N/A  
494 Northeastern State University 2.06 to 1 13% 54% 63% 26% 90 18% N/A  
494 Southeast Community College Area 13.50 to 1 1% N/A 63% 27% 29 14% N/A  
494 Southwestern College (2) 0.22 to 1 1% N/A 63% 12% 48 17% N/A  
494 The Art Institute of Pittsburgh-Online Division 0.24 to 1 81% 75% 63% 21% N/A 23% N/A  
494 Thomas University to 1 95% N/A 63% 9% 28 9% N/A  
494 Truckee Meadows Community College 0.45 to 1 4% N/A 63% 17% 32 18% N/A  
494 Western State College of Colorado 4.33 to 1 73% 93% 63% 39% 97 12% N/A  
512 Bethel University 0.49 to 1 86% 48% 62% 32% 60 16% N/A  
512 Central Christian College of Kansas 1.19 to 1 100% N/A 62% 54% 37 8% N/A  
512 Columbia Basin College 0.72 to 1 10% N/A 62% 30% 52 13% N/A  
512 Community College of Rhode Island 0.66 to 1 6% N/A 62% 11% 43 14% N/A  
512 Franklin Pierce University 0.47 to 1 84% 93% 62% 49% 44 8% N/A  
512 Jamestown Community College 0.29 to 1 13% N/A 62% 32% 56 15% N/A  
512 Massasoit Community College 0.22 to 1 4% N/A 62% 13% 41 16% N/A  
512 Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical 1.24 to 1 0% N/A 62% 29% 17 15% N/A  
512 Missouri Western State University 0.96 to 1 43% N/A 62% 28% 93 20% N/A  
512 Mount Aloysius College 0.58 to 1 99% 72% 62% 51% 69 10% N/A  
512 Nevada State College 0.37 to 1 26% 66% 62% 22% 6 15% N/A  
512 New Mexico State University-Dona Ana 0.34 to 1 7% N/A 62% 12% 39 15% N/A  
512 Northampton County Area Community College 0.14 to 1 5% N/A 62% 21% 42 16% N/A  
512 San Diego Christian College 0.46 to 1 88% 39% 62% 31% 30 9% N/A  
512 Southern Nazarene University 0.44 to 1 97% N/A 62% 44% 56 8% N/A  
512 Stanly Community College 0.43 to 1 6% N/A 62% 33% 33 0% N/A  
512 Sterling College 1.03 to 1 100% 49% 62% 48% 84 14% N/A  
512 The University of Texas at San Antonio 2.54 to 1 53% 83% 62% 27% 38 11% N/A  
512 University of Arkansas at Little Rock 1.34 to 1 43% 96% 62% 22% 83 15% N/A  
512 University of North Carolina at Pembroke 4.68 to 1 15% 75% 62% 34% 61 6% N/A  
512 University of the Cumberlands 1.83 to 1 99% 70% 62% 43% 48 11% N/A  
512 Washburn University 0.90 to 1 50% 100% 62% 38% 99 10% N/A  
512 West Hills College Coalinga 1.02 to 1 16% N/A 62% 30% 60 28% N/A  
512 Wright State University-Main Campus 1.96 to 1 53% N/A 62% 41% 44 8% N/A  
536 Angelo State University 4.18 to 1 50% 93% 61% 31% 76 16% N/A  
536 Anna Maria College 0.33 to 1 99% 60% 61% 49% 1 7% N/A  
536 Anne Arundel Community College 0.22 to 1 3% N/A 61% 12% 44 16% N/A  
536 Black Hills State University 2.12 to 1 37% 94% 61% 29% 84 9% N/A  
536 Brescia University 1.14 to 1 96% 48% 61% 32% 55 14% N/A  
536 Delta State University 2.41 to 1 55% 58% 61% 32% 82 13% N/A  
536 Hannibal-Lagrange College 0.82 to 1 83% 60% 61% 45% 54 6% N/A  
536 Kaskaskia College 0.49 to 1 25% N/A 61% 42% 43 0% N/A  
536 Mercer County Community College 0.25 to 1 0% N/A 61% 18% 45 15% N/A  
536 Montgomery County Community College-Central Campus 0.35 to 1 1% N/A 61% 12% 42 13% N/A  
536 Prince George's Community College 0.17 to 1 4% N/A 61% 9% 43 16% N/A  
536 Stratford University 0.10 to 1 0% N/A 61% 51% 10 19% N/A  
536 Texas Southern University 2.68 to 1 21% 39% 61% 12% 64 24% N/A  
536 West Los Angeles College 0.33 to 1 0% N/A 61% 12% 41 16% N/A  
550 Alvin Community College 0.58 to 1 7% N/A 60% 12% 53 23% N/A  
550 Fremont College 0.23 to 1 0% N/A 60% 65% 26 21% N/A  
550 Granite State College 0.01 to 1 57% N/A 60% 17% 32 12% N/A  
550 Jacksonville University 1.31 to 1 99% 42% 60% 40% 62 13% N/A  
550 Jefferson College 0.35 to 1 10% N/A 60% 28% 43 16% N/A  
550 Los Angeles Trade Technical College 0.71 to 1 0% N/A 60% 16% 60 0% N/A  
550 Lynn University 1.33 to 1 77% N/A 60% 42% 45 8% N/A  
550 Missouri Southern State University 2.06 to 1 47% 97% 60% 33% 63 12% N/A  
550 New England College 0.62 to 1 96% 77% 60% 38% 45 11% N/A  
550 New River Community College 0.31 to 1 14% N/A 60% 21% 40 20% N/A  
550 Northern Essex Community College 0.20 to 1 1% N/A 60% 14% 43 17% N/A  
550 Parkland College 0.46 to 1 9% N/A 60% 20% 40 18% N/A  
550 Rappahannock Community College 0.14 to 1 17% N/A 60% 24% 39 0% N/A  
550 Santa Fe University of Art and Design 0.36 to 1 97% 33% 60% 48% 47 7% N/A  
550 Southern Arkansas University Main Campus 2.82 to 1 71% 67% 60% 33% 83 17% N/A  
550 Southern Arkansas University Tech 1.17 to 1 21% N/A 60% 39% 32 21% N/A  
550 University of New Mexico-Valencia County Branch 0.35 to 1 12% N/A 60% 8% 34 7% N/A  
567 Black River Technical College 1.26 to 1 7% N/A 59% 30% 15 27% N/A  
567 Fort Valley State University 2.51 to 1 5% 58% 59% 33% 61 23% N/A  
567 Grand Canyon University 0.07 to 1 85% 37% 59% 31% 44 15% N/A  
567 Guilford Technical Community College 0.58 to 1 5% N/A 59% 14% 43 19% N/A  
567 Indiana Institute of Technology 0.15 to 1 80% 65% 59% 19% 50 11% N/A  
567 J Sargeant Reynolds Community College 0.28 to 1 4% N/A 59% 9% 38 17% N/A  
567 Limestone College 1.13 to 1 90% 51% 59% 41% 84 14% N/A  
567 Northwestern Oklahoma State University 1.19 to 1 60% 100% 59% 37% 90 15% N/A  
567 Our Lady of the Lake University-San Antonio 0.75 to 1 99% 55% 59% 36% 89 10% N/A  
567 Ozarks Technical Community College 0.39 to 1 2% N/A 59% 18% 16 21% N/A  
567 Riverland Community College 0.60 to 1 6% N/A 59% 32% 16 15% N/A  
567 Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design 0.68 to 1 99% N/A 59% 56% 12 17% N/A  
567 Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College 0.59 to 1 98% 51% 59% 57% 93 10% N/A  
567 The University of Texas of the Permian Basin 2.20 to 1 89% 79% 59% 34% 37 16% N/A  
567 University of Northwestern Ohio 1.75 to 1 21% N/A 59% 60% 25 17% N/A  
582 Great Basin College 0.43 to 1 14% N/A 58% 23% 38 10% N/A  
582 Illinois Eastern Community Colleges-Olney Central College 0.77 to 1 73% N/A 58% 46% 49 24% N/A  
582 Indiana State University 2.56 to 1 54% 85% 58% 43% 97 10% N/A  
582 Laramie County Community College 0.44 to 1 54% N/A 58% 13% 37 17% N/A  
582 Montana State University-Northern 1.48 to 1 39% 64% 58% 30% 80 12% N/A  
582 Northeastern Technical College 0.42 to 1 7% N/A 58% 14% 39 0% N/A  
582 Scottsdale Community College 0.37 to 1 26% N/A 58% 17% 37 20% N/A  
582 Southwestern Adventist University 26.50 to 1 76% N/A 58% 46% 54 15% N/A  
582 Wilmington University 0.10 to 1 5% N/A 58% 37% 37 7% N/A  
591 Columbia College 0.08 to 1 21% N/A 57% 40% 94 12% 85%  
591 Hodges University 0.97 to 1 31% 61% 57% 26% 14 13% N/A  
591 Howard Payne University 2.83 to 1 99% 69% 57% 46% 64 15% N/A  
591 Lake Land College 0.30 to 1 21% N/A 57% 25% 39 20% N/A  
591 National Louis University 0.57 to 1 90% 86% 57% 26% 8 7% N/A  
591 Northwood University-Florida Education Center 0.26 to 1 93% 46% 57% 34% 28 13% N/A  
591 Ohio Dominican University 0.76 to 1 100% 61% 57% 48% 78 8% N/A  
591 Ohio University-Eastern Campus 0.33 to 1 26% N/A 57% 27% 55 9% N/A  
591 Pikes Peak Community College 0.25 to 1 7% N/A 57% 21% 37 19% N/A  
591 Pitt Community College 0.62 to 1 8% N/A 57% 16% 43 13% 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