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Highest first-year retention
2,737 colleges in the U.S. with this figure reported (500+ students).
121Wheaton College · IL · Private (nonprofit)94%122Worcester Polytechnic Institute · MA · Private (nonprofit)94%123Auburn University · AL · Public93%124Bentley University · MA · Private (nonprofit)93%125Clemson University · SC · Public93%126Colgate University · NY · Private (nonprofit)93%127College of the Holy Cross · MA · Private (nonprofit)93%128Colorado School of Mines · CO · Public93%129Emily Griffith Technical College · CO · Public93%130Emory University-Oxford College · GA · Private (nonprofit)93%131Grinnell College · IA · Private (nonprofit)93%132Kettering University · MI · Private (nonprofit)93%133Lehigh University · PA · Private (nonprofit)93%134Manhattan School of Music · NY · Private (nonprofit)93%135North Carolina State University at Raleigh · NC · Public93%136Rhode Island School of Design · RI · Private (nonprofit)93%137Rutgers University-New Brunswick · NJ · Public93%138Smith College · MA · Private (nonprofit)93%139Stanbridge University · CA · Private (for-profit)93%140University of California-Davis · CA · Public93%141University of Richmond · VA · Private (nonprofit)93%142University of Rochester · NY · Private (nonprofit)93%143Yeshiva University · NY · Private (nonprofit)93%144Case Western Reserve University · OH · Private (nonprofit)92%145Creighton University · NE · Private (nonprofit)92%146Florida International University · FL · Public92%147George Washington University · DC · Private (nonprofit)92%148Lafayette College · PA · Private (nonprofit)92%149Laurus College · CA · Private (for-profit)92%150North Central State College · OH · Public92%151Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus · PA · Public92%152Purdue University-Main Campus · IN · Public92%153Southern Nazarene University · OK · Private (nonprofit)92%154Thomas Aquinas College · CA · Private (nonprofit)92%155Trinity University · TX · Private (nonprofit)92%156University of California-Santa Barbara · CA · Public92%157University of Central Florida · FL · Public92%158University of Miami · FL · Private (nonprofit)92%159University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus · PA · Public92%160Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University · VA · Public92%
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.