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Highest first-year retention
2,737 colleges in the U.S. with this figure reported (500+ students).
361Virginia Commonwealth University · VA · Public86%362Wabash College · IN · Private (nonprofit)86%363Wentworth Institute of Technology · MA · Private (nonprofit)86%364West Coast University-Anaheim-Orange County · CA · Private (for-profit)86%365Wheaton College (Massachusetts) · MA · Private (nonprofit)86%366Willamette University · OR · Private (nonprofit)86%367AMG School of Nursing · NY · Private (for-profit)85%368Appalachian State University · NC · Public85%369Arizona State University Campus Immersion · AZ · Public85%370Baldwin Wallace University · OH · Private (nonprofit)85%371Bard College · NY · Private (nonprofit)85%372Bennington College · VT · Private (nonprofit)85%373Berklee College of Music · MA · Private (nonprofit)85%374Biola University · CA · Private (nonprofit)85%375California State University-Fullerton · CA · Public85%376California State University-Long Beach · CA · Public85%377Cedarville University · OH · Private (nonprofit)85%378Clarkson University · NY · Private (nonprofit)85%379Colorado State University-Fort Collins · CO · Public85%380Dordt University · IA · Private (nonprofit)85%381Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach · FL · Private (nonprofit)85%382Franklin and Marshall College · PA · Private (nonprofit)85%383Hampden-Sydney College · VA · Private (nonprofit)85%384Hampton University · VA · Private (nonprofit)85%385Illinois Wesleyan University · IL · Private (nonprofit)85%386John Carroll University · OH · Private (nonprofit)85%387Martin Luther College · MN · Private (nonprofit)85%388Maryland Institute College of Art · MD · Private (nonprofit)85%389Marywood University · PA · Private (nonprofit)85%390Messiah University · PA · Private (nonprofit)85%391Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College · LA · Public85%392Rollins College · FL · Private (nonprofit)85%393Sacred Heart University · CT · Private (nonprofit)85%394Saint Mary's College of California · CA · Private (nonprofit)85%395Saint Vincent College · PA · Private (nonprofit)85%396Salve Regina University · RI · Private (nonprofit)85%397San Joaquin Valley College-Modesto · CA · Private (for-profit)85%398Seattle University · WA · Private (nonprofit)85%399Seton Hall University · NJ · Private (nonprofit)85%400South Florida Institute of Technology · FL · Private (for-profit)85%
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.