<p>The freshmen rate at USC is 96%. That means 4% of 4000 freshmen class disappear. </p>
<p>What are they going? Do they end up transferring to some better college (better fit for them)? Or simply drop out due to their financial situations?</p>
<p>Just curious about that.</p>
<p>Purdue,</p>
<p>All unversities have students who take a year off, become ill, transfer, move to another country or decide to start their own business. There are many reasons why students do not continue.</p>
<p>USC does very well for the size of the university. Here are some retention rates for some other institutions around the country. Rates are from last year’s U.S.News.</p>
<pre><code> Harvard 97%
USC 96%
Cornell 96%
Georgetown 96%
Vanderbilt 96%
Tufts 96%
Emory 95%
</code></pre>
<p>Some others are:</p>
<pre><code> Univ. of California, Davis 91%
Miami Univ. 90%
NYU 92%
Univ. of Texas-Austin 92%
Penn State 93%
</code></pre>
<p>The official size of the 2010-2011 freshmen class for SC was 2972. The number of seniors who applied was 35,794. The target number of freshmen is 2600. More accepted than anticipated.</p>
<p>USC does not have a freshmen class of 4000. </p>
<p>Official numbers have not been announced for the class that will enter in August. There were between 37,000 and 38,000 applicants. The freshmen profile is usually posted on the USC website in late summer.</p>
<p>Why does this question concern you when your intention is to attend a university across the country?</p>
<p>I remember being confused by the numbers too, but the freshman class starts at 2500-3000 and ends up around 4000 with spring admits & people transferring in. </p>
<p>I don’t know anyone transferring out after freshman year. I do have a friend that transferred mid sophomore year, but that’s because she switched majors and the other school was cheaper and better for what she wanted to do.</p>
<p>Wisdom,
At the same time students transfer in other students leave to study abroad for a semester or a year and many graduate now in 3 1/2 years.</p>
<pre><code> That are not nearly that many spring admits. There are even fewer this year.
</code></pre>
<p>@EEatPurdue:</p>
<p>I am just curious. Purdue actually has a much lower retention rate…</p>
<p>You posted the same question on the Michigan forum.</p>
<p>but it still stands to reason that every class is a bit over 4000, doesn’t it? The total undergrad enrollment is just under 17000, so it stands to reason that each graduating class would be around 4200 students.</p>