<p>Could anyone grab their USNWR Rankings (if you happen to have it lying about near you) and find the retention rates for the following colleges? I'd appreciate it so, so much. </p>
<p>Mills College
Sweet Briar College
Hollins College
Spelman College
Randolph-Macon Women's College
Agnes Scott College
Wellesley College
Mount Holyoke College
Bryn Mawr College
Barnard College
Scripps College
Smith College</p>
<p>That's twelve colleges (all women's colleges, if you couldn't tell). Again, I'd appreciate it very much if someone would post the retention rates for these.</p>
<p>Retention means students return for their sophomore year. Perhaps more relevant are graduation rates after 6 or 7 years.</p>
<p>From US News: retention rate, graduation rate, SAT score 75th percentile:</p>
<p>in order according to SAT 75th percentile (student quality)</p>
<p>Wellesley College 95% 91% 1460
Scripps College 91% 74% 1440
Barnard College 94% 89% 1430
Bryn Mawr College 92% 83% 1410
Mount Holyoke College 92% 78% 1380
Smith College 91% 84% 1370
Agnes Scott College 81% 67% 1300
Hollins College 77% 61% 1280
Mills College 79% 66% 1280
Randolph-Macon Women's College 78% 61% 1273
Sweet Briar College 81% 67% 1255
Spelman College 91% 77% 1140</p>
<p>Scripps and Mount Holyoke have high retention rates but rather low graduation rates. Is that typical? If not, why did the freshman class that started 6 years ago do poorly?</p>
<p>There is a drop in retention rates and graduation rates between Smith and Agnes Scott but there is also a drop in SAT which might explain the retention/graduation.</p>
<p>Spelman shows a drop in SAT but a relatively high graduation rate. They evidently provide their students a good experience. On the other hand, Hollins and Randolph Macon have relatively low graduation rates (relative to student quality)</p>
<p>"Retention means students return for their sophomore year. Perhaps more relevant are graduation rates after 6 or 7 years."</p>
<p>If a large percentage of freshmen don't like a school well enough to come back for a second year, something pretty relevant is being communicated.</p>
<p>I've been thinking about transferring to a woman's college and valentina's post helped me out in terms of getting numbers and statistics. Obviously, Wellesley is the top of the list.</p>
<p>This is a weird place to post it, but if anyone reading this can help me out-- what do you think of Wellesley? What is its reputation, beyond academics?</p>
<p>
[quote]
If a large percentage of freshmen don't like a school well enough to come back for a second year, something pretty relevant is being communicated.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>It's not just whether students like it well enough to come back. </p>
<p>Financial aid is sometimes also a factor. I think high-need students are more at risk for drop out or transfer at some schools. The wealthier the school, the more it can invest in grant aid. It's a lot easier to stick it out when your loan burden is low. If you've got a lot of self-help in your package, it can be harder to finish. It may take longer to graduate, it may be harder to stick it out after a tough term, etc. Some students may like their school fine, but end up feeling they can't afford to stay. And some students may be unsure after freshmen year, but great aid makes it worth coming back sophomore year and searching for one's niche.</p>
<p>Therefore, I suspect that some of the difference reflects not just how happy/unhappy students are generally (although that is part of it), but also the number of students with need and the generosity of the school in meeting it.</p>
<p>No. Just face it: some students, who made their best call on which college to attend, taking everything into account, come to the conclusion that they made a mistake. Why wouldn't the next generation of students consider that a relevant statistic?</p>
<p>I agree that the percentage graduating from this school (or, from any school?) in a certain number of years may be relevant statistic, but applicants may indeed be interested in how many freshmen dislike the school enough to transfer out.</p>
<p>You misunderstand me. I didn't say it wasn't a relevant statistic. I was merely explaining why its interpretation isn't as simple as "more students being unhappy" or "many students made a mistake". That is the motivation for many instances of transfer. </p>
<p>However, it is also the case that financial aid packages can play a role--especially at relatively expensive private schools like the ones listed, especially when there are known disparities in their institutional resources.</p>
<p>Retention rates are closely associated with income of student's families.
Those associations get stronger with time, as there is more opportunity for family emergencies/income loss to take their toll. </p>
<p>If you want to do an interesting experiment, line up 4-year graduation rates against Pell Grant recipients (low-income students). You'll find a straight-line association. It would be even more accurate if one can get data for Pell Grant recipients plus true middle income cohort ($40k-$60k family income.)</p>