If you don’t know what the freshman retention rate means, imagine you are a freshman. You understand when; halfway through your first semester, you find that your classes are too hard or too easy, you don’t like the campus atmosphere, and you can’t fit into the social culture. Thus, you develop a desire to change your major or transfer to another school. And if you want to avoid this, pay more attention to your school’s freshman retention rate, which is a very informative statistic when choosing a school.
1.What is Retention Rate
The conception of retention rate
Retention rate is the percentage of freshmen who choose to continue their sophomore year at the same school after one year of study.
What retention rate means
High levels of student satisfaction
Students are satisfied with their academic and social experiences during their first year. They were actively involved in various activities organised by the university and felt supported by the university, and the campus environment was conducive to their growth.
Academic Support
The school provides an effective academic support system, including academic counselling, tutorial services, and resources to help students adjust to university courses.
Generous Financial Aid
The school is generous to students from low-income families, giving them tuition waivers and living subsidies to enable them to complete their college education.
Positive campus environment
The high retention rate of new students indicates that the campus environment is friendly to student development, and factors such as student clubs, mental health resources, and amenities around the city are conducive to fostering a sense of well-being and belonging.
2.Top 30 US Highest Retention Rate Colleges
| Retention rate of US universities | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College | U.S,NEWS Ranking | Freshman Retention Rate | |||
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 2 | 99% | |||
| Univercity of Chicago | 12 | ||||
| Columbia University | 12 | 98% | |||
| Dartmouth college | 18 | ||||
| Duke University | 7 | ||||
| Northeastern University | 53 | ||||
| Northewestern University | 9 | ||||
| Rice University | 17 | ||||
| University of Notre Dame | 20 | ||||
| Brown University | 9 | 97% | |||
| California Institute of Technology | 7 | ||||
| Carnegie Mellon University | 24 | ||||
| Cornell University | 12 | ||||
| Geogetown University | 22 | ||||
| Georgia Institue of Technology | 33 | ||||
| Johns Hopkins University | 9 | ||||
| University of California,Berkeley | 15 | 96% | |||
| University of Texas at Austion | 32 | ||||
| Villanova University | 67 | ||||
| Washington University in St.Louis | 24 | ||||
| Boston College | 39 | 95% | |||
| Emory University | 24 | ||||
| Standford University | 3 | ||||
| Texas A&M University | 47 | 94% | |||
| University of Washington | 40 | 93% | |||
| Harvard University | 3 | ||||
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 35 | 92% | |||
| Virginia Tech | 47 | ||||
3.What We Can See from the Chart
Ⅰ.Private universities have a higher "freshman retention rate" than public ones.
Private schools have high “freshman retention” rates, partly because they place more emphasis on small class sizes, higher student/teacher ratios, more opportunities for student/professor interactions, and an overall closer-knit school environment;
On the other hand, these private schools have a good student population, enrolling fewer but more sophisticated students and admitting academically gifted students, making it easier for them to persist in an academically challenging environment.
Public universities have double-digit acceptance rates except for UCLA, which has an acceptance rate of 8.6%. Because public schools primarily serve the students of the state and carry out the mission of “educational inclusion,” they are not as selective as private schools in their admissions.
Ⅱ.Recognised good schools don't always have a high "retention rate"
The most notable school on the form is Harvard University, the most prestigious school in the world that international students want to apply to. The title “Harvard” in the education section of your CV is the highest recognition of your academic level. However, for those who go to Harvard, studying at Harvard may not be as good as you think.
In a video, blogger Ahsante the Artist, who graduated from Harvard many years ago, talks about what it’s like to be a student from a middle-class family at Harvard for four years.
According to her, Harvard has the “elitist system” down to a science. Imagine that all your classmates around you have impressive activity histories and family backgrounds while maintaining straight A grades. Choosing classes and clubs at Harvard can be very stressful, even if you have a good mindset and want to avoid competing with your classmates.
The Harvard environment may suit you well if you have a strong sense of competition. However, for many first-year students, this intense competition is beyond their imagination, and the freshman experience feels terrible. Naturally, they choose to transfer to another, more relaxed school.
Often, the prestigious school others envy is only sometimes suitable for you. You can only know the taste of many paths if you have travelled them.
Ⅲ.Student experience is better at colleges with average overall rankings
The chart includes schools that rank outside the top 40 overall but have a 95 per cent or higher retention rate for new students. The high ratings are due to the friendly atmosphere, generous financial aid, well-equipped campus facilities, and excellent career services.
4.Recommendation of High Retention Rate Colleges
University of Maryland, College Park
2023-24 U.S. News Rank: 46
Freshman retention rate: 95%
Acceptance Rate: 44.5%
Tuition: $19,345
Location: College Park, MD
The University of Maryland, Parker, is known for its cost-effective tuition and quality educational services. Last year, the school excelled in the U.S. News Composite Rankings, rising from 55th to 46th. The College of CS has a national reputation for producing notable alums such as Google co-founder Sergey Brin, and the field of Artificial Intelligence holds a solid second place in the prestigious computer ranking CS Rankings. The school’s location in Washington, D.C., gives students access to research and internship resources at multinational institutions.
University of Georgia
2023-24 U.S. News Rank: 47
Freshman retention rate: 95%
Acceptance Rate: 42.5%
Tuition: $30,220
Location: Athens, GA
Established in 1785, the University of Georgia is a bastion of history and affordability, ranking among the top 50 in the U.S. News overall rankings. The university’s standout majors, including business, environmental science, pharmacy, and journalism, cater to diverse interests. The Terry College of Business, the first of its kind in the southern United States, boasts exceptional sub-specialties: 1st in insurance, 5th in real estate, and 12th in management information systems in the United States.
Northeastern University
2023-24 U.S. News Rank: 53
Freshman retention rate: 98%
Acceptance Rate: 6.8%
Tuition: $62,000
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
In recent years, Northeastern University has become increasingly popular among Chinese students. Located in Boston, Northeastern focuses more on the job-seeking needs of its students than several other schools, and its Co-op programme, in which students undertake a six-month paid internship, is a university speciality. The programme allows students to exchange their internships for credits while giving them work experience and job competitiveness. Tohoku University works with more than 3,000 organisations worldwide, and 93% of its graduates find full-time jobs or enter graduate school nine months after graduation, making them genuinely employable upon graduation.
5.Conclusion
The freshman retention rate is an important statistic, and paying attention to and reading about it is an essential part of choosing the college of your choice. I hope this article helped you and your college experience is enjoyable and smooth!
FAQ on Retention Rate
The freshman retention rate is the percentage of college freshmen who are satisfied with the university and choose not to transfer or change majors and stay at the university to continue to complete their degrees
According to the U.S. NEWS ranking, many schools have retention rates of 99% and 98%, and it is best to choose these schools.
It depends on a lot of circumstances, and some universities are trying to improve retention rates.
