Freshman Retention Rates

Colleges and Universities A-Z TCU
1

As I help my daughter make her college choice, I came across freshman first year student retention rate stats. Many of the schools that she is considering have first year retention rates at around 95%. TCU’s averages to about 90% over the past 5. SMU is similar. Baylor’s is a tick lower at 89%. Rice is above 96%.

While 90% isn’t terrible, as I believe the national average is closer to 75%, can why does TCU’s retention rate trail many other nationally ranked universities? Is it a Texas private school thing?

2

I have a daughter at Baylor and another daughter at TCU. They both love their schools. One thing to consider is that at TCU, the majority of kids are from out of state. Baylor is more like 40%. UT Austin is 10%. A&M is around 6%. So of course I would expect lower retention rates at a Baylor or TCU because sometimes kids go out of state and realize it’s too far from home. UT Austin and A&M have less of that to deal with.

3

@octrojan 89,90,91 aren’t different enough to consider. SMU, Baylor and TCU are peer schools.

4

UTD has 87%, Texas Tech has 84% and UNT has 80% freshman retention.

5

That is so not true.

6

What’s not true? We’ll need to see statistics and sources supporting your objection. Ones posted above were acquired from CollegeFactual.

7

Even though freshman retention rates are important, graduation rates are equally important. Here are 6 year graduation rates for some Texas schools. I’ll try to find and post 4 year rates later.

https://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/2018/09/12/low-texas-college-graduation-rates-tell-us-dont

Rice 93%
UT 81%
A&M 80%
SMU 79%
Baylor 77%
TCU 77%
UTD 67%
UD 67%

8

According to college data, TCU’s graduation rate at 6 years is 83%

9

According to Department of Education, it’s 76%.

https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?228875-Texas-Christian-University

10

That page says “The files include data from 1996 through 2017 for all undergraduate degree-granting institutions of higher education.” So, maybe that is a ten-year average?

11

According to the legal resources on their website, the Common Data Set reports it is 83%. It’s 76% for those that receive a Federal Pell Grant.
This report was filed 3/27/19
www.ir.tcu.edu/zfiles/TCUCDS2018.pdf
Page 5

12

Thanks @loribelle

13

Daughter graduated a few years ago. The people she knew that left were terribly homesick and from out of state (such as Oregon and Washington).