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Highest first-year retention in California
252 colleges in California with this figure reported (500+ students).
1Career Networks Institute · CA · Private (for-profit)100%2Humphreys University · CA · Private (nonprofit)100%3Santa Ana College · CA · Public100%4California Institute of Technology · CA · Private (nonprofit)98%5Stanford University · CA · Private (nonprofit)98%6Harvey Mudd College · CA · Private (nonprofit)97%7University of California-Berkeley · CA · Public97%8University of California-Los Angeles · CA · Public97%9University of Southern California · CA · Private (nonprofit)97%10Claremont McKenna College · CA · Private (nonprofit)96%11Minerva University · CA · Private (nonprofit)96%12Pomona College · CA · Private (nonprofit)96%13California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · CA · Public95%14Pitzer College · CA · Private (nonprofit)94%15Santa Clara University · CA · Private (nonprofit)94%16University of California-Irvine · CA · Public94%17University of California-San Diego · CA · Public94%18Stanbridge University · CA · Private (for-profit)93%19University of California-Davis · CA · Public93%20Laurus College · CA · Private (for-profit)92%21Thomas Aquinas College · CA · Private (nonprofit)92%22University of California-Santa Barbara · CA · Public92%23Pima Medical Institute-San Marcos · CA · Private (for-profit)91%24California Northstate University · CA · Private (for-profit)90%25Chapman University · CA · Private (nonprofit)90%26San Diego State University · CA · Public90%27University of California-Santa Cruz · CA · Public90%28University of San Diego · CA · Private (nonprofit)90%29University of the Pacific · CA · Private (nonprofit)89%30California State Polytechnic University-Pomona · CA · Public88%31Dominican University of California · CA · Private (nonprofit)88%32Gnomon · CA · Private (for-profit)88%33Institute for Business and Technology · CA · Private (for-profit)88%34Loyola Marymount University · CA · Private (nonprofit)88%35Pacific Union College · CA · Private (nonprofit)88%36Scripps College · CA · Private (nonprofit)88%37University of California-Riverside · CA · Public88%38Occidental College · CA · Private (nonprofit)87%39Westmont College · CA · Private (nonprofit)87%40California Institute of the Arts · CA · Private (nonprofit)86%
Source: U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS (latest survey year). Sorted only by highest first-year retention — this is not an overall quality ranking. Open-admission colleges do not report an admit rate and are not listed here.