Home / Rankings / Highest first-year retention
Highest first-year retention
2,737 colleges in the U.S. with this figure reported (500+ students).
2521University of the Southwest · NM · Private (nonprofit)53%2522Valley College-Cleveland · OH · Private (nonprofit)53%2523West Virginia Northern Community College · WV · Public53%2524Whittier College · CA · Private (nonprofit)53%2525Angelina College · TX · Public52%2526Bossier Parish Community College · LA · Public52%2527BridgeValley Community & Technical College · WV · Public52%2528Bryant & Stratton College-Wauwatosa · WI · Private (nonprofit)52%2529Columbia Gorge Community College · OR · Public52%2530CUNY Medgar Evers College · NY · Public52%2531Denmark Technical College · SC · Public52%2532Genesee Community College · NY · Public52%2533Iowa Central Community College · IA · Public52%2534National Park College · AR · Public52%2535Ranger College · TX · Public52%2536Rogue Community College · OR · Public52%2537Salem University · WV · Private (for-profit)52%2538Sullivan County Community College · NY · Public52%2539The College of Health Care Professions-San Antonio · TX · Private (for-profit)52%2540Vincennes University · IN · Public52%2541Waldorf University · IA · Private (nonprofit)52%2542Western Nebraska Community College · NE · Public52%2543Wichita Technical Institute · KS · Private (for-profit)52%2544Barton County Community College · KS · Public51%2545Bellevue University · NE · Private (nonprofit)51%2546Blue Mountain Community College · OR · Public51%2547Central State University · OH · Public51%2548Dorsey College · MI · Private (for-profit)51%2549Fortis Institute-Pensacola · FL · Private (for-profit)51%2550Huston-Tillotson University · TX · Private (nonprofit)51%2551Kent State University at Trumbull · OH · Public51%2552Luna Community College · NM · Public51%2553Merritt College · CA · Public51%2554North Country Community College · NY · Public51%2555Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College · OK · Public51%2556St Paul's School of Nursing-Staten Island · NY · Private (for-profit)51%2557American College of Healthcare Sciences · OR · Private (for-profit)50%2558Beal University · ME · Private (for-profit)50%2559Berkeley College-New York · NY · Private (for-profit)50%2560Caribbean University-Ponce · PR · Private (nonprofit)50%
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.