College Comparison III: Freshman Retention

College Search & Selection
1

<p>In order to assist some in their college search process, I have prepared a series of threads that will compare colleges on a variety of measurements. In making these comparisons, I have created three broad groups (private national universities, public national universities and liberal arts colleges) and provide comparisons involving 117 colleges (national universities ranked in the USNWR Top 75 and LACs ranked in the USNWR Top 40). </p>

<p>Following is a comparison on FRESHMAN RETENTION. This should be an important data point for all students who wish to avoid the personal disruption associated with transferring out of one school and having to find another. </p>

<p>To aid in the comparisons, I have included the level of the highest-ranking public universities with each of the private groups for National Universities and LACs. This should help families appreciate the way that the very top scoring public compares with their private competition. </p>

<p>I hope that you enjoy the thread and find some helpful information. Good luck to all in your college search process!</p>

<p>Freshman Retention , National Private University</p>

<p>98.8% , Yale
98.5% , Columbia
98.0% , Princeton
98.0% , MIT
98.0% , Stanford
98.0% , U Penn
98.0% , Dartmouth
97.8% , Caltech
97.8% , U Chicago
97.5% , Brown
97.5% , Notre Dame
97.2% , Harvard
97.0% , TOP PUBLIC (3-way tie between UCLA, U Virginia, and U North Carolina)
96.8% , Northwestern
96.8% , Johns Hopkins
96.8% , Rice
96.5% , Wash U
96.5% , Georgetown
96.2% , Duke
96.2% , Cornell
96.0% , Vanderbilt
96.0% , USC
95.8% , Tufts
95.5% , Boston College
94.8% , U Rochester
94.5% , Carnegie Mellon
94.2% , Emory
94.2% , Brandeis
94.0% , Lehigh
93.2% , Wake Forest
93.2% , Rensselaer
92.5% , NYU
92.0% , Worcester
91.5% , Case Western
91.2% , George Washington
91.2% , Syracuse
91.0% , Boston University
89.8% , U Miami
89.8% , Fordham
89.0% , Pepperdine
88.2% , Yeshiva
87.8% , SMU
87.5% , Tulane
86.8% , BYU</p>

<p>Freshman Retention , National Public University</p>

<p>97.0% , UCLA
97.0% , U VIRGINIA
97.0% , U N CAROLINA
96.5% , UC BERKELEY
96.0% , U MICHIGAN
95.2% , WILLIAM & MARY
94.5% , U FLORIDA
94.2% , UC SAN DIEGO
93.5% , U WISCONSIN
93.5% , UC IRVINE
93.2% , U ILLINOIS
93.2% , PENN STATE
93.2% , U GEORGIA
93.0% , U MARYLAND
92.8% , U WASHINGTON
92.8% , U CONNECTICUT
92.2% , GEORGIA TECH
92.2% , U TEXAS
92.0% , TEXAS A&M
91.8% , OHIO STATE
90.8% , MICHIGAN ST
90.5% , UC S BARBARA
90.2% , UC DAVIS
90.2% , VIRGINIA TECH
90.0% , U PITTSBURGH
90.0% , U DELAWARE
89.8% , CLEMSON
89.8% , RUTGERS
89.2% , UC S CRUZ
88.2% , INDIANA U
87.2% , U MINNESOTA
85.0% , PURDUE
83.5% , U IOWA</p>

<p>Freshman Retention , LAC</p>

<p>98.5% , Pomona
97.8% , Bowdoin
97.2% , Amherst
97.0% , Williams
97.0% , TOP PUBLIC (3-way tie between UCLA, U Virginia, and U North Carolina)
96.5% , Swarthmore
96.5% , Carleton
96.2% , Haverford
96.2% , US Naval Acad
96.0% , Claremont McK
95.8% , Davidson
95.8% , Vassar
95.5% , Holy Cross
95.0% , Middlebury
95.0% , Wesleyan
95.0% , Barnard
95.0% , Bucknell
94.8% , Wellesley
94.8% , Harvey Mudd
94.5% , W&L
94.5% , Bates
94.2% , Colby
94.0% , Colorado College
94.0% , Whitman
93.8% , Hamilton
93.8% , Lafayette
93.5% , Colgate
93.5% , Oberlin
93.5% , Bryn Mawr
93.0% , Grinnell
93.0% , Mt. Holyoke
93.0% , Macalester
93.0% , Kenyon
92.2% , Furman
92.0% , Occidental
91.8% , Scripps
91.5% , US Military Acad
91.2% , Trinity
90.8% , U Richmond
90.0% , Smith
88.8% , Sewanee
86.5% , Bard</p>

2

<p>Setting aside the criticisms of freshman retention as a ranking criteria, I would point out that this is one data point where you’d really like to have a few years’ worth of data on each school rather than a point in time. The numbers can vary quite a bit from one year to the next for most years due to random (or at least unexplained) factors. You’re not going to see swings from 90% to 75%, but swings of 1% can easily shuffle up your rank order here. If I was going to use this for anything, I’d like to see average rates as well as standard deviations to give a since of how widely the number does swing for each school.</p>

3

<p>This is nonsense. Retention has to do with other kids who leave and often it has to do with money. Its NOT a valid qualifier for the quality of education, and I would suggest not even for the quality of life/social scene. </p>

<p>Its just another attempt to promote the top schools all of which have high retention rates. I would argue they do because they have an attitude that “after HYP, there is nothing worth looking at.” Which of course is utter nonsense. </p>

<p>Colleges are sensitive to their yield and retention rates. Some kids go to college and can’t hack it. Can’t adjust. Can’t pay for it. Its too far from home. Its too cold. Its this or its that. Nationally, the college dropout rate is abhorrent (and tragic.) Like free agency in sports, some kids are just people who move around a lot, or shop schools, hoping to upgrade or downsize or whatever.</p>

4

<p>ghost,
I see it very differently here. My key takeaway from the data is how closely all of the schools compare. Unlike other measurements where there often are large/sharp differences, the differences in Freshman Retention between most of these schools, including the top private (NU or LAC) and the top public, are tiny. In fact, out of the 117 schools listed, only 16 fall below 90%. I think that that speaks pretty well for nearly all of these colleges. </p>

<p>Now, if you’re criticizing USNWR for using this data point to make a ranking distinction, I agree. This is actually one of my specific criticisms of the USNWR rankings as these tiny differences cause greater ranking separation than the reality on these campuses. If a school’s ordinal USNWR overall ranking is determined by a 1% difference in Freshmen Retention (which happens), then I think that this overrates the impact of this difference. </p>

<p>I also think that there may be a prisoner/prestige effect at some of these schools. I often hear complaints from students who attended/are attending highly ranked colleges who feel like they can’t transfer from ABC Prestigious College because they would lose style points with their families and/or in their post-graduate life/options. I don’t agree as I think college is supposed to be a great and enjoyable time of life, but not everybody sees it like that and will make their own choices.</p>

5

<p>

:confused:</p>

6

<p>ucb,
No need to worry. It’s pretty normal that someone is always ticked off at the data that I post. Heck, I hope that future threads will spur more comment. I’m worried that I am presenting on too many schools and the distinctions are being lost in the presentation of so many colleges. But I’ve gotten so many requests to expand to more national universities and include LACs, so this is what I have for now. </p>

<p>As you know, I believe that objective data has a way of demystifying an argument and providing a more accurate picture of a college or a trend. In this case, my reading is that the data shows that there aren’t enormous differences in freshman retention for many, many colleges and IMO certainly not enough to generate the ranking differences that sometimes result via USNWR’s methodology.</p>

7

<p>I’m pretty surprised Georgia Tech is at 92%. A few years ago when such metrics were relevant to me, it was in the mid 80’s, which I assumed was due mostly to the brutal nature of the freshmen courses that everyone has to take (intro to CS, calc II, etc). I wonder if this increase has come at the cost of reducing the difficulty of core courses or actually represents improving quality of life and/or better students?</p>

8

<p>As noted, all of these schools are pretty similar in result. I think the percentages vary much more–both freshman retention and graduation within 5 years–when you venture below these elite schools. That data would be much more useful.</p>