Retention and Graduation Rates

Matriculating into a college is one thing, returning your sophomore year in good standing and then successfully pushing through to a diploma is quite another.

Nationwide, the average retention rate (students who return for sophomore year) is 78%. Graduation rates are measured by: 1) the percentage of students that complete their degree; and 2) how long it takes to do so. Our list of retention and graduation rates at roughly 330 of the nation’s top colleges and universities will show you each institution’s retention rate as well as what percentage of their student body graduates in four, five, and six years. A high retention and four-year graduation rate are indicators of quality undergraduate education.

*Data was collected from each institution’s Common Data Set for 2022-23. Graduation rates were collected from the Fall 2016 cohort and retention rates measured students who enrolled in Fall 2021 and returned for Fall 2022.

Table updated November 2023

InstitutionFreshman Retention Rate4-Year Graduation Rate6-Year Graduation Rate
138600Agnes Scott College83%69%74%
210669Allegheny College83%59%73%
131159American UniversityAU87%74%79%
164465Amherst College95%85%94%
197869Appalachian State UniversityApp State86%58%74%
104151Arizona State UniversityASU86%54%66%
100858Auburn University92%56%80%
164580Babson College95%90%93%
189088Bard College84%58%74%
189097Barnard College95%87%92%
160977Bates College92%88%92%
223232Baylor University89%68%80%
238333Beloit College85%65%74%
230816Bennington College83%63%71%
164739Bentley University92%84%89%
156295Berea College84%51%66%
164748Berklee College of Music82%54%68%
196079Binghamton University91%75%83%
142115Boise State University78%38%54%
164924Boston CollegeBC95%88%92%
164988Boston UniversityBU94%83%89%
161004Bowdoin College94%88%95%
165015Brandeis University91%82%88%
230038Brigham Young University-ProvoBYU90%26%77%
217156Brown University97%85%96%
217165Bryant University88%80%83%
211273Bryn Mawr College89%78%85%
211291Bucknell University92%82%88%
150163Butler University88%74%81%
110404California Institute of TechnologyCaltech97%81%93%
111081California Institute of the Arts79%54%66%
110422California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoCal Poly94%60%84%
110529California State Polytechnic University-Pomona88%27%68%
110556California State University-Fresno81%21%57%
110565California State University-Fullerton88%33%70%
110583California State University-Long Beach87%38%74%
110592California State University-Los Angeles78%17%52%
173258Carleton College95%88%92%
211440Carnegie Mellon UniversityCMU97%76%92%
201645Case Western Reserve University93%68%85%
131283Catholic University of America88%73%74%
156408Centre College89%85%85%
230852Champlain College77%57%66%
111948Chapman University90%76%81%
112260Claremont McKenna CollegeCMC94%83%92%
165334Clark University87%72%77%
190044Clarkson University85%64%76%
217882Clemson University93%66%85%
161086Colby College93%84%89%
190099Colgate University94%88%91%
217819College of Charleston81%57%66%
160959College of the Atlantic81%52%61%
166124College of the Holy Cross93%89%92%
231624College of William and MaryW&M94%86%91%
126678Colorado CollegeCC93%83%86%
126775Colorado School of Mines92%66%83%
126818Colorado State UniversityCSU85%48%69%
190150Columbia University in the City of New York98%89%96%
128902Connecticut College88%79%83%
190372Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art90%64%84%
153162Cornell College77%60%66%
190415Cornell University97%89%95%
181002Creighton University91%72%78%
190512CUNY Bernard M Baruch College87%51%73%
190594CUNY Hunter College82%33%57%
182670Dartmouth College98%84%95%
198385Davidson College94%88%92%
202523Denison University88%82%82%
144740DePaul University84%58%71%
150400DePauw University89%73%83%
212009Dickinson College88%80%83%
153269Drake University84%70%78%
184348Drew University87%64%72%
212054Drexel University89%Not Reported74%
198419Duke University98%91%96%
212106Duquesne University85%68%78%
150455Earlham College80%66%70%
198464East Carolina UniversityECU82%45%66%
133492Eckerd College80%62%67%
212197Elizabethtown College86%75%73%
198516Elon University90%79%84%
133553Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University80%36%62%
165662Emerson College86%73%79%
165671Emmanuel College80%59%66%
139658Emory University95%83%90%
129242Fairfield University91%82%83%
191126Fashion Institute of TechnologyFIT88%Not Reported83%
133669Florida Atlantic UniversityFAU81%48%56%
133881Florida Institute of Technology80%50%63%
133951Florida International UniversityFIU90%48%66%
134079Florida Southern College80%63%68%
134097Florida State UniversityFSU94%74%84%
191241Fordham University89%79%83%
212577Franklin and Marshall CollegeF&M88%81%85%
441982Franklin W Olin College of Engineering99%82%94%
218070Furman University87%78%83%
232186George Mason UniversityGMU85%49%71%
131469George Washington UniversityGWU90%79%84%
131496Georgetown University97%91%95%
139861Georgia College & State University82%51%63%
139755Georgia Institute of TechnologyGeorgia Tech97%56%92%
139940Georgia State University78%34%55%
212674Gettysburg College90%78%83%
235316Gonzaga University93%80%87%
162654Goucher College76%49%63%
153384Grinnell College90%84%88%
212805Grove City College89%76%84%
173647Gustavus Adolphus College87%76%78%
191515Hamilton College94%89%92%
166018Hampshire College69%51%63%
150756Hanover College80%67%68%
166027Harvard University92%87%98%
115409Harvey Mudd CollegeHMC96%88%93%
212911Haverford College94%83%91%
107080Hendrix College83%67%69%
170286Hillsdale College96%76%87%
191630Hobart William Smith Colleges87%68%75%
191649Hofstra University82%59%67%
170301Hope College89%76%80%
131520Howard UniversityHU89%61%66%
145725Illinois Institute of TechnologyIIT87%38%72%
145646Illinois Wesleyan University85%75%80%
151351Indiana University-BloomingtonIUB90%72%80%
153603Iowa State University88%52%75%
191968Ithaca College83%69%76%
232423James Madison UniversityJMU90%78%82%
162928Johns Hopkins UniversityJHU97%89%94%
213251Juniata College84%66%75%
170532Kalamazoo College86%71%80%
155399Kansas State University86%47%68%
203535Kenyon College89%84%88%
169983Kettering University90%10%67%
146427Knox College82%66%74%
213385Lafayette College91%86%89%
146481Lake Forest College86%74%76%
239017Lawrence University88%62%79%
192323Le Moyne College84%65%75%
213543Lehigh University92%83%89%
209056Lewis & Clark College84%67%75%
159391Louisiana State UniversityLSU84%47%67%
117946Loyola Marymount UniversityLMU88%74%81%
146719Loyola University ChicagoLUC85%67%74%
163046Loyola University Maryland87%75%81%
173902Macalester College93%83%91%
161299Maine Maritime Academy81%52%70%
192819Marist College87%73%83%
239105Marquette University89%66%83%
166683Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMIT99%89%96%
140447Mercer University86%67%72%
204024Miami University-Oxford89%73%82%
171100Michigan State UniversityMSU91%63%82%
171128Michigan Technological University85%33%70%
230959Middlebury College93%86%93%
239318Milwaukee School of EngineeringMSOE82%52%68%
176080Mississippi State University82%41%62%
178411Missouri University of Science and TechnologyMUST85%24%65%
180461Montana State University77%35%56%
140553Morehouse College87%40%54%
166939Mount Holyoke CollegeMHC89%78%84%
214175Muhlenberg College92%83%83%
262129New College of Florida80%54%64%
185828New Jersey Institute of TechnologyNJIT89%48%71%
187967New Mexico Institute of Mining and TechnologyNMIT78%38%54%
193900New York UniversityNYU93%78%87%
199193North Carolina State UniversityNC State94%65%85%
167358Northeastern University98%0%90%
147767Northwestern University98%87%95%
204501Oberlin College88%72%84%
120254Occidental CollegeOxy89%77%84%
204796Ohio State UniversityOSU94%69%87%
204857Ohio UniversityOU81%49%66%
204909Ohio Wesleyan University80%59%66%
209542Oregon State UniversityOSU86%46%69%
214777Pennsylvania State UniversityPSU; Penn State91%69%83%
121150Pepperdine University89%76%86%
121257Pitzer College89%79%86%
121345Pomona College94%87%94%
194578Pratt Institute-Main89%58%76%
186131Princeton University94%88%98%
217402Providence College91%83%87%
243780Purdue University-Main Campus92%63%83%
130226Quinnipiac University87%73%76%
186201Ramapo College of New Jersey85%60%72%
209922Reed College87%67%75%
194824Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteRPI90%71%85%
217493Rhode Island School of DesignRISD91%64%88%
221351Rhodes College91%82%83%
227757Rice University98%88%93%
195003Rochester Institute of TechnologyRIT87%29%72%
136950Rollins College86%70%76%
152318Rose-Hulman Institute of TechnologyRHIT92%73%81%
184782Rowan University84%49%70%
186371Rutgers University-Camden82%45%67%
186380Rutgers University-New BrunswickRU93%70%84%
186399Rutgers University-Newark85%39%66%
183239Saint Anselm College89%82%81%
179159Saint Louis UniversitySLU89%73%80%
231059Saint Michael's College84%71%78%
122409San Diego State UniversitySDSU89%54%76%
122755San Jose State UniversitySJSU87%29%67%
122931Santa Clara UniversitySCU93%85%91%
195304Sarah Lawrence CollegeSLC80%65%75%
123165Scripps College90%77%86%
236595Seattle University84%68%74%
195474Siena College86%73%79%
167783Simmons University84%59%76%
195526Skidmore College89%81%86%
167835Smith College89%83%89%
399911Soka University of America93%85%89%
228246Southern Methodist UniversitySMU91%75%82%
228343Southwestern University83%64%72%
195216St Lawrence UniversitySLU88%80%82%
174844St Olaf College91%82%85%
163976St. John's College80%72%72%
245652St. John's College74%63%70%
163912St. Mary's College of Maryland84%60%73%
243744Stanford University95%73%95%
196176State University of New York at New Paltz85%56%75%
137546Stetson University73%60%64%
186867Stevens Institute of Technology93%65%87%
167996Stonehill College87%75%82%
196097Stony Brook University89%65%77%
196219SUNY at Purchase College79%57%63%
196167SUNY College at Geneseo85%67%77%
196103SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry81%59%75%
216287Swarthmore College94%90%95%
196413Syracuse University91%75%83%
216339Temple University87%62%76%
228723Texas A & M University-College Station94%61%83%
228875Texas Christian UniversityTCU92%73%83%
229115Texas Tech University86%41%63%
187134The College of New JerseyTCNJ92%75%86%
206589The College of Wooster84%70%76%
193654The New School80%57%70%
100751The University of Alabama88%55%72%
180489The University of Montana74%29%48%
137847The University of Tampa80%57%62%
221759The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleUTK88%54%72%
228778The University of Texas at AustinUT Austin96%72%88%
228787The University of Texas at DallasUTD; UT Dallas89%56%71%
221519The University of the South89%74%80%
124292Thomas Aquinas College92%81%84%
216366Thomas Jefferson University84%54%70%
164076Towson University85%48%72%
130590Trinity College91%80%84%
229267Trinity University91%67%78%
178615Truman State University84%59%73%
168148Tufts University95%90%94%
160755Tulane University of Louisiana93%81%86%
196866Union College90%80%85%
128328United States Air Force AcademyUSAFA94%87%87%
130624United States Coast Guard AcademyUSCGA98%84%89%
197027United States Merchant Marine Academy88%69%81%
197036United States Military AcademyUSMA96%85%86%
164155United States Naval Academy97%88%91%
196088University at Buffalo85%59%75%
100663University of Alabama at BirminghamUAB84%44%63%
104179University of ArizonaUA85%54%66%
106397University of Arkansas86%53%68%
110635University of California-BerkeleyUCB: UC Berkeley96%82%93%
110644University of California-DavisUCD; UC Davis92%66%87%
110653University of California-IrvineUCI; UC Irvine93%73%85%
110662University of California-Los AngelesUCLA97%84%92%
445188University of California-MercedUC Merced83%44%69%
110671University of California-RiversideUCR; UC Riverside89%62%76%
110680University of California-San DiegoUCSD; UC San Diego94%72%88%
110705University of California-Santa BarbaraUCSB; UC Santa Barbara92%73%85%
110714University of California-Santa CruzUCSC; UC Santa Cruz88%62%77%
132903University of Central FloridaUCF92%48%74%
144050University of ChicagoUChicago99%89%96%
201885University of Cincinnati-Main Campus87%38%72%
126614University of Colorado Boulder87%57%73%
129020University of ConnecticutUConn93%74%84%
224323University of Dallas81%67%71%
130943University of DelawareUD91%73%83%
127060University of DenverUD85%70%76%
134130University of FloridaUF97%72%90%
139959University of GeorgiaUGA95%71%87%
225511University of Houston85%39%62%
142285University of Idaho76%35%59%
145600University of Illinois at ChicagoUIC80%40%62%
145637University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignUIUC93%72%85%
153658University of Iowa88%55%73%
155317University of KansasKU86%53%66%
157085University of KentuckyUK86%52%67%
157289University of Louisville79%43%61%
161253University of Maine76%40%56%
232681University of Mary Washington81%59%67%
163268University of Maryland-Baltimore CountyUMBC87%47%70%
163286University of Maryland-College ParkUMD95%74%88%
166629University of Massachusetts-AmherstUMass Amherst90%76%83%
166638University of Massachusetts-BostonUMass Boston75%28%50%
166513University of Massachusetts-LowellUMass Lowell83%49%69%
135726University of MiamiUM92%74%84%
170976University of MichiganUMich97%81%93%
174233University of Minnesota-Duluth78%43%63%
174251University of Minnesota-Morris77%48%59%
174066University of Minnesota-Twin CitiesUMN92%73%84%
176017University of MississippiOle Miss88%54%67%
178396University of Missouri-ColumbiaMizzou89%55%73%
181464University of Nebraska-LincolnUNL82%46%66%
182281University of Nevada-Las VegasUNLV78%22%46%
182290University of Nevada-RenoUNR80%41%62%
183044University of New HampshireUNH86%70%78%
199111University of North Carolina at AshevilleUNC Asheville73%44%61%
199120University of North Carolina at Chapel HillUNC Chapel Hill96%85%91%
199139University of North Carolina at CharlotteUNCC; UNC Charlotte84%48%66%
199148University of North Carolina at GreensboroUNCG; UNC Greensboro77%36%58%
199218University of North Carolina WilmingtonUNC Wilmington84%59%73%
152080University of Notre DameUND98%94%96%
207500University of OklahomaOU88%53%74%
209551University of Oregon86%61%74%
215062University of PennsylvaniaUPenn97%88%96%
215293University of Pittsburgh93%69%84%
209825University of Portland88%70%81%
236328University of Puget Sound81%70%76%
121691University of Redlands81%57%71%
217484University of Rhode IslandURI85%57%70%
233374University of Richmond93%83%89%
195030University of Rochester92%82%87%
122436University of San DiegoUSD90%71%81%
122612University of San FranciscoUSF82%67%74%
215929University of Scranton87%75%81%
218663University of South CarolinaUSC89%69%78%
137351University of South FloridaUSF91%61%75%
123961University of Southern CaliforniaUSC95%79%92%
174914University of St Thomas86%70%79%
231174University of VermontUVM88%65%77%
234076University of VirginiaUVA97%91%95%
377555University of Washington-Bothell Campus85%49%69%
236948University of Washington-SeattleUW94%71%84%
240444University of Wisconsin-MadisonUW-Madison95%72%89%
216524Ursinus College85%69%75%
221999Vanderbilt UniversityVandy97%89%93%
197133Vassar College95%88%91%
216597Villanova University96%88%91%
234030Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVCU84%44%66%
233921Virginia TechVirginia Tech92%70%87%
152673Wabash College87%73%77%
199847Wake Forest University94%85%89%
234207Washington and Lee UniversityW&L; WLU97%92%94%
164216Washington College82%67%73%
236939Washington State UniversityWSU81%41%60%
179867Washington University in St LouisWashU96%88%94%
168218Wellesley College96%82%92%
168227Wentworth Institute of Technology81%57%71%
130697Wesleyan University94%89%92%
216764West Chester University of Pennsylvania85%51%74%
238032West Virginia UniversityWVU80%43%61%
125727Westmont College82%70%75%
149781Wheaton College91%79%88%
168281Wheaton College84%77%77%
237057Whitman College85%83%89%
125763Whittier College76%60%66%
210401Willamette University82%68%73%
168342Williams College95%88%95%
218973Wofford College90%80%82%
168421Worcester Polytechnic InstituteWPI94%82%89%
130794Yale University90%88%97%
197708Yeshiva UniversityYU91%77%81%

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