Colleges with the Highest First-Generation Completion Rates

Colleges with the Highest First-Generation Completion Rates, ranked by first-generation four-year completion rate. Four-year completion for the Scorecard first-generation cohort. Four-year colleges with at least 1,000 undergraduates. Online-only schools are excluded. This page lists all 1,170 colleges in the ranking. Search and filter the list.

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1Vassar CollegePoughkeepsie, New York93.1%19%1494$39k$71k91%2,44426 mi 2University of Notre DameNotre Dame, Indiana92.8%11%1520$27k$100k95%8,81825 mi 3Duke UniversityDurham, North Carolina92.0%6%1548$30k$98k97%6,442111 mi 4College of the Holy CrossWorcester, Massachusetts90.9%18%1353$39k$91k87%3,10636 mi 5Barnard CollegeNew York, New York90.8%9%1520$29k$81k93%3,264< 1 mi 6Wesleyan UniversityMiddletown, Connecticut90.5%16%1501$30k$74k93%3,06719 mi 7Cornell UniversityIthaca, New York90.2%9%1535$29k$104k95%15,99561 mi 8Babson CollegeWellesley, Massachusetts89.8%17%1457$41k$124k93%2,72811 mi 9Princeton UniversityPrinceton, New Jersey89.5%5%1553$6k$110k98%5,70922 mi 10Hamilton CollegeClinton, New York88.4%14%1506$29k$78k91%2,03054 mi 11Brown UniversityProvidence, Rhode Island88.2%5%1546$25k$93k96%7,2261 mi 12Williams CollegeWilliamstown, Massachusetts87.1%8%1533$18k$89k94%2,07698 mi 13Bentley UniversityWaltham, Massachusetts86.8%45%1352$38k$121k87%4,4749 mi 14Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, Massachusetts86.8%5%1560$20k$143k96%4,5352 mi 15Smith CollegeNorthampton, Massachusetts86.3%21%1500$28k$64k89%2,54467 mi 16Yale UniversityNew Haven, Connecticut86.1%4%1534$24k$101k96%6,7581 mi 17Wake Forest UniversityWinston-Salem, North Carolina86.0%22%1475$29k$78k89%5,485183 mi 18Northwestern UniversityEvanston, Illinois85.9%8%1533$29k$89k95%9,2011 mi 19University of ChicagoChicago, Illinois85.8%4%1554$15k$92k96%7,5691 mi 20Tufts UniversityMedford, Massachusetts85.8%11%1513$40k$83k94%7,0615 mi 21University of Virginia-Main CampusCharlottesville, Virginia85.7%17%1480$22k$87k96%17,59767 mi 22Lafayette CollegeEaston, Pennsylvania85.6%31%1424$34k$91k88%2,75748 mi 23Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, Maryland85.4%6%1553$19k$88k94%5,6935 mi 24William & MaryWilliamsburg, Virginia85.3%34%1473$19k$73k89%7,0553 mi 25Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury, Vermont85.2%11%1508$31k$76k91%2,73895 mi 26Colby CollegeWaterville, Maine85.2%7%1501$17k$80k89%2,40735 mi 27Centre CollegeDanville, Kentucky85.1%54%1352$21k$66k81%1,400279 mi 28Emory UniversityAtlanta, Georgia84.5%11%1520$23k$80k91%7,298219 mi 29Bucknell UniversityLewisburg, Pennsylvania84.5%29%1410$41k$94k86%3,876105 mi 30Rice UniversityHouston, Texas84.3%8%1553$13k$90k95%4,77620 mi 31Union CollegeSchenectady, New York84.2%44%1395$35k$89k80%2,046104 mi 32University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, California84.1%10%1495$33k$92k92%20,44310 mi 33Bryant UniversitySmithfield, Rhode Island83.9%65%1265$41k$90k80%3,19410 mi 34Trinity CollegeHartford, Connecticut83.9%29%1415$35k$91k84%2,14631 mi 35Dartmouth CollegeHanover, New Hampshire83.9%5%1534$30k$97k96%4,54188 mi 36Georgetown UniversityWashington, District of Columbia83.9%13%1487$41k$103k95%7,5691 mi 37Macalester CollegeSaint Paul, Minnesota83.9%29%1440$32k$64k87%2,131134 mi 38Rhode Island School of DesignProvidence, Rhode Island83.8%19%1473$51k$68k89%2,0841 mi 39Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, Massachusetts83.3%16%1507$42k$104k91%10,0856 mi 40Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Tennessee83.1%6%1549$16k$92k94%7,208380 mi 41Grinnell CollegeGrinnell, Iowa82.6%15%1486$18k$63k88%1,729254 mi 42Gettysburg CollegeGettysburg, Pennsylvania82.6%39%1379$31k$72k83%2,09952 mi 43Occidental CollegeLos Angeles, California82.4%44%1452$38k$76k81%1,87718 mi 44Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara, California82.4%48%1426$50k$109k88%6,5529 mi 45Whitman CollegeWalla Walla, Washington82.3%38%1410$33k$68k81%1,531209 mi 46Villanova UniversityVillanova, Pennsylvania82.2%27%1460$44k$100k92%6,93812 mi 47University of Michigan-Ann ArborAnn Arbor, Michigan82.0%16%1465$13k$84k93%34,17730 mi 48Wheaton CollegeWheaton, Illinois81.5%87%1380$27k$64k85%2,12124 mi 49The College of New JerseyEwing, New Jersey81.5%62%1246$28k$73k86%7,10522 mi 50Dickinson CollegeCarlisle, Pennsylvania81.4%42%1391$38k$70k80%2,27370 mi 51University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill, North Carolina81.4%15%1439$12k$72k91%20,752115 mi 52University of California-San DiegoLa Jolla, California81.3%27%—$12k$85k86%34,9481 mi 53Worcester Polytechnic InstituteWorcester, Massachusetts81.2%60%—$43k$103k90%5,44738 mi 54Fairfield UniversityFairfield, Connecticut80.9%33%1335$48k$89k84%5,3732 mi 55Sarah Lawrence CollegeBronxville, New York80.7%62%1366$41k$54k71%1,5303 mi 56Emerson CollegeBoston, Massachusetts80.7%51%1358$49k$63k77%3,8701 mi 57Washington University in St LouisSt. Louis, Missouri80.7%12%1530$22k$86k94%7,857258 mi 58University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania80.2%5%1553$29k$111k97%10,6503 mi 59University of RochesterRochester, New York80.1%40%1488$29k$79k85%6,3319 mi 60Mount Holyoke CollegeSouth Hadley, Massachusetts80.0%36%1463$26k$58k84%2,16962 mi 61DePauw UniversityGreencastle, Indiana79.9%57%1340$22k$71k75%1,905139 mi 62Amherst CollegeAmherst, Massachusetts79.5%9%1533$23k$78k94%1,91169 mi 63University of PortlandPortland, Oregon79.3%89%1277$28k$83k80%2,95746 mi 64Stonehill CollegeEaston, Massachusetts79.2%66%—$33k$78k76%2,52814 mi 65University of RichmondUniversity of Richmond, Virginia78.9%22%1497$31k$76k85%2,98022 mi 66Gonzaga UniversitySpokane, Washington78.8%82%1335$35k$79k86%5,198224 mi 67Lehigh UniversityBethlehem, Pennsylvania78.6%26%1440$37k$106k88%5,89845 mi 68Rose-Hulman Institute of TechnologyTerre Haute, Indiana78.4%77%1427$43k$101k78%2,309148 mi 69St Olaf CollegeNorthfield, Minnesota78.3%48%1380$24k$66k84%3,093165 mi 70University of San DiegoSan Diego, California78.2%52%—$30k$87k84%5,6713 mi 71Harvard UniversityCambridge, Massachusetts78.1%4%1553$19k$102k98%7,6014 mi 72Wofford CollegeSpartanburg, South Carolina78.1%52%1296$19k$69k84%1,816178 mi 73Rhodes CollegeMemphis, Tennessee78.0%50%1362$29k$67k85%1,836326 mi 74Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, New York77.9%4%1553$22k$102k96%8,973< 1 mi 75Connecticut CollegeNew London, Connecticut77.8%37%1432$36k$75k82%1,9372 mi 76Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteTroy, New York77.8%63%1456$36k$102k84%5,71499 mi 77University of California-Los AngelesLos Angeles, California77.4%9%—$13k$83k93%33,4755 mi 78University of California-IrvineIrvine, California77.3%29%—$14k$81k87%30,1974 mi 79Colorado CollegeColorado Springs, Colorado77.2%18%1365$33k$65k88%2,014705 mi 80Illinois Wesleyan UniversityBloomington, Illinois77.2%39%1275$28k$71k75%1,582114 mi 81University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignChampaign, Illinois77.1%42%1440$14k$81k85%36,258115 mi 82Washington & Jefferson CollegeWashington, Pennsylvania76.9%81%—$25k$68k70%1,295120 mi 83Franklin and Marshall CollegeLancaster, Pennsylvania76.9%28%1392$36k$76k84%1,79936 mi 84Bryn Mawr CollegeBryn Mawr, Pennsylvania76.6%29%1396$32k$75k82%1,35911 mi 85Stevens Institute of TechnologyHoboken, New Jersey76.5%48%1446$41k$109k87%4,222< 1 mi 86Saint Michael's CollegeColchester, Vermont76.4%85%1245$25k$61k73%1,09266 mi 87Fordham UniversityBronx, New York75.8%59%1418$44k$86k82%10,5122 mi 88James Madison UniversityHarrisonburg, Virginia75.4%72%1256$23k$70k80%20,88882 mi 89Loyola University MarylandBaltimore, Maryland75.2%75%1290$31k$83k79%3,8696 mi 90Providence CollegeProvidence, Rhode Island75.1%51%1346$49k$87k86%4,2293 mi 91Clark UniversityWorcester, Massachusetts74.9%40%1370$29k$62k77%2,21437 mi 92Syracuse UniversitySyracuse, New York74.7%46%1375$39k$79k84%15,47735 mi 93Chapman UniversityOrange, California74.6%65%1357$47k$70k82%7,47813 mi 94Rockhurst UniversityKansas City, Missouri74.5%70%1120$26k$67k75%1,580414 mi 95University of California-DavisDavis, California74.4%42%—$15k$81k86%32,25327 mi 96Hope CollegeHolland, Michigan74.4%79%1249$27k$58k80%3,2886 mi

US Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS. Missing or suppressed values are excluded. A ranking is a comparison of the named measure, not an overall quality score.