<p>Hi -- I am new and tried searching for this. Hope I am not making a mistake in starting this thread. In one of the big college books they give a freshman retention rate percentage rate for each school. My kid is into Goucher and loves it, but I am concerned that the retention rate is only 82%. [Compare this with Skidmore (94%) and Haverford (96%).] What do people think about this? What would be the reasons for this, and should I be concerned? I am asking about this generally and also specifically about Goucher, if people have information. Thanks so much.</p>
<p>82 is actually a rather decent retention rate I believe?.. certainly not bad</p>
<p>people may drop out, may transfer, etc. I believe my school was 78 percent and that seems about right from what I remember. One guy failed out, one girl transfered to a school closer to her boyfriend, etc.</p>
<p>The single biggest reason students leave is financial/economic emergency at home. While there are exceptions, retention is inversely related to Pell Grants. Harvard has fewer than 6% of students on Pell Grants, meaning that (despite talking a good game), they have among the least if not the least economically diverse student body in the nation.</p>
<p>First off, I know nothing about the schools you mentioned.</p>
<p>However, I think it really depends on the school and it’s demographics. For example, a school like Harvard is expected to have a very high retention rate (I think it’s 96 percent) because the kids that end up there tend to be very serious about their studies and are not prone to dropping out or failing.</p>
<p>You would also expect a relatively high retention rate at a very expensive private school (but not necessarily top stats) where most of the students are from upper middle to wealthy families because the expectation in those socio-economic groups is *you will * finish college.</p>
<p>At a larger, public school you have people from all walks of life, financial situations and different motivations. There you will find students that run the gamut from super intelligent and motivated to ‘I’m only here for the beer.’ The retention rate is naturally lower at some of those schools. People don’t finish for many reasons including financial. But that doesn’t mean those who do graduate don’t get a good education.</p>
<p>IMHO, none of that has any bearing on your child. If he or she is a motivated student, they will graduate no matter where they go. Personally, I won’t worry that much about it. If your child loves the school, that’s what is most important.</p>
<p>Thanks, all, for these replies. This is helpful info. I was just worried it was a measure of student happiness with the school and now I see there are many other factors.</p>