Private Nonprofit Colleges with the Highest Retention Rates

Private Nonprofit Colleges with the Highest Retention Rates, ranked by first-year retention rate. Retention measures returning students, not satisfaction. Four-year colleges with at least 1,000 undergraduates. Online-only schools are excluded. This page lists all 635 colleges in the ranking. Search and filter the list.

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1University of ChicagoChicago, Illinois99.3%4%1554$15k$92k96%7,5691 mi 2University of Notre DameNotre Dame, Indiana99.1%11%1520$27k$100k95%8,81825 mi 3Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, Massachusetts99.1%5%1560$20k$143k96%4,5352 mi 4University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania98.9%5%1553$29k$111k97%10,6503 mi 5Brown UniversityProvidence, Rhode Island98.8%5%1546$25k$93k96%7,2261 mi 6Yale UniversityNew Haven, Connecticut98.8%4%1534$24k$101k96%6,7581 mi 7Dartmouth CollegeHanover, New Hampshire98.4%5%1534$30k$97k96%4,54188 mi 8Cornell UniversityIthaca, New York98.4%9%1535$29k$104k95%15,99561 mi 9Princeton UniversityPrinceton, New Jersey98.4%5%1553$6k$110k98%5,70922 mi 10Harvard UniversityCambridge, Massachusetts98.3%4%1553$19k$102k98%7,6014 mi 11Stanford UniversityStanford, California98.2%4%1553$14k$124k92%7,5544 mi 12Claremont McKenna CollegeClaremont, California98.1%10%1527$29k$105k91%1,38834 mi 13Northwestern UniversityEvanston, Illinois98.1%8%1533$29k$89k95%9,2011 mi 14Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, Maryland98.1%6%1553$19k$88k94%5,6935 mi 15Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, New York98.0%4%1553$22k$102k96%8,973< 1 mi 16Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, Pennsylvania98.0%12%1546$32k$115k94%7,304110 mi 17Duke UniversityDurham, North Carolina97.9%6%1548$30k$98k97%6,442111 mi 18Pomona CollegeClaremont, California97.5%7%1534$19k$78k93%1,66633 mi 19Rice UniversityHouston, Texas97.4%8%1553$13k$90k95%4,77620 mi 20Amherst CollegeAmherst, Massachusetts97.3%9%1533$23k$78k94%1,91169 mi 21Northeastern UniversityBoston, Massachusetts96.9%5%1497$31k$93k91%17,3262 mi 22Williams CollegeWilliamstown, Massachusetts96.9%8%1533$18k$89k94%2,07698 mi 23Bowdoin CollegeBrunswick, Maine96.8%7%1520$14k$83k95%1,8733 mi 24Georgetown UniversityWashington, District of Columbia96.8%13%1487$41k$103k95%7,5691 mi 25Washington and Lee UniversityLexington, Virginia96.6%14%1498$24k$95k94%1,881121 mi 26Barnard CollegeNew York, New York96.6%9%1520$29k$81k93%3,264< 1 mi 27Hillsdale CollegeHillsdale, Michigan96.6%21%1415——90%1,57361 mi 28Wellesley CollegeWellesley, Massachusetts96.5%14%1520$25k$85k92%2,30013 mi 29Carleton CollegeNorthfield, Minnesota96.5%20%1517$25k$76k90%2,086164 mi 30Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Tennessee96.3%6%1549$16k$92k94%7,208380 mi 31Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, Massachusetts96.0%16%1507$42k$104k91%10,0856 mi 32University of Southern CaliforniaLos Angeles, California95.9%10%1495$33k$92k92%20,44310 mi 33Yeshivath ViznitzMonsey, New York95.9%——$9k—69%1,1598 mi 34New York UniversityNew York, New York95.8%9%1520$37k$83k88%28,6631 mi 35Emory UniversityAtlanta, Georgia95.7%11%1520$23k$80k91%7,298219 mi 36Tufts UniversityMedford, Massachusetts95.5%11%1513$40k$83k94%7,0615 mi 37Villanova UniversityVillanova, Pennsylvania95.1%27%1460$44k$100k92%6,93812 mi 38Rhode Island School of DesignProvidence, Rhode Island95.0%19%1473$51k$68k89%2,0841 mi 39Washington University in St LouisSt. Louis, Missouri95.0%12%1530$22k$86k94%7,857258 mi 40Vassar CollegePoughkeepsie, New York94.9%19%1494$39k$71k91%2,44426 mi 41Wesleyan UniversityMiddletown, Connecticut94.9%16%1501$30k$74k93%3,06719 mi 42Hamilton CollegeClinton, New York94.8%14%1506$29k$78k91%2,03054 mi 43College of the Holy CrossWorcester, Massachusetts94.8%18%1353$39k$91k87%3,10636 mi 44Boston UniversityBoston, Massachusetts94.7%11%1480$24k$83k89%18,2483 mi 45Davidson CollegeDavidson, North Carolina94.6%13%1469$17k$81k91%1,867167 mi 46Babson CollegeWellesley, Massachusetts94.6%17%1457$41k$124k93%2,72811 mi 47Smith CollegeNorthampton, Massachusetts94.3%21%1500$28k$64k89%2,54467 mi 48Kettering UniversityFlint, Michigan94.3%79%1251$35k$95k71%1,20541 mi 49Creighton UniversityOmaha, Nebraska94.2%80%1321$32k$74k83%4,348424 mi 50Spelman CollegeAtlanta, Georgia94.1%25%1220$39k$60k78%3,414222 mi 51Uta Mesivta of Kiryas JoelMonroe, New York94.0%——$4k$32k70%2,95710 mi 52Swarthmore CollegeSwarthmore, Pennsylvania94.0%7%1534$23k$80k92%1,6133 mi 53Providence CollegeProvidence, Rhode Island94.0%51%1346$49k$87k86%4,2293 mi 54Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara, California93.9%48%1426$50k$109k88%6,5529 mi 55Haverford CollegeHaverford, Pennsylvania93.8%12%1513$25k$80k90%1,4309 mi 56Scripps CollegeClaremont, California93.8%38%1492$36k$78k83%1,11334 mi 57Pitzer CollegeClaremont, California93.8%25%—$34k$70k83%1,22734 mi 58University of MiamiCoral Gables, Florida93.8%19%1415$37k$75k84%12,9132 mi 59Lehigh UniversityBethlehem, Pennsylvania93.7%26%1440$37k$106k88%5,89845 mi 60Bucknell UniversityLewisburg, Pennsylvania93.7%29%1410$41k$94k86%3,876105 mi 61Worcester Polytechnic InstituteWorcester, Massachusetts93.7%60%—$43k$103k90%5,44738 mi 62Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury, Vermont93.7%11%1508$31k$76k91%2,73895 mi 63Colby CollegeWaterville, Maine93.7%7%1501$17k$80k89%2,40735 mi 64Stevens Institute of TechnologyHoboken, New Jersey93.6%48%1446$41k$109k87%4,222< 1 mi 65Colorado CollegeColorado Springs, Colorado93.6%18%1365$33k$65k88%2,014705 mi 66Colgate UniversityHamilton, New York93.4%14%1508$29k$85k91%3,18061 mi 67Gonzaga UniversitySpokane, Washington92.9%82%1335$35k$79k86%5,198224 mi 68Texas Christian UniversityFort Worth, Texas92.9%44%1298$37k$68k86%11,026246 mi 69Samford UniversityBirmingham, Alabama92.9%82%1201$33k$58k77%4,206198 mi 70Trinity UniversitySan Antonio, Texas92.9%26%1416$23k$72k84%2,505120 mi 71Bentley UniversityWaltham, Massachusetts92.7%45%1352$38k$121k87%4,4749 mi 72Wheaton CollegeWheaton, Illinois92.6%87%1380$27k$64k85%2,12124 mi 73Wake Forest UniversityWinston-Salem, North Carolina92.6%22%1475$29k$78k89%5,485183 mi 74Grinnell CollegeGrinnell, Iowa92.6%15%1486$18k$63k88%1,729254 mi 75Tulane University of LouisianaNew Orleans, Louisiana92.5%14%1448$40k$63k86%7,7676 mi 76Rhodes CollegeMemphis, Tennessee92.3%50%1362$29k$67k85%1,836326 mi 77Macalester CollegeSaint Paul, Minnesota92.3%29%1440$32k$64k87%2,131134 mi 78Bryn Mawr CollegeBryn Mawr, Pennsylvania92.2%29%1396$32k$75k82%1,35911 mi 79George Washington UniversityWashington, District of Columbia92.2%47%1433$37k$91k84%11,1821 mi 80St Olaf CollegeNorthfield, Minnesota92.2%48%1380$24k$66k84%3,093165 mi 81Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, Ohio92.1%37%1513$41k$88k87%6,4373 mi 82University of TulsaTulsa, Oklahoma92.1%62%1389$15k$61k72%2,813443 mi 83Dickinson CollegeCarlisle, Pennsylvania92.0%42%1391$38k$70k80%2,27370 mi 84Chapman UniversityOrange, California91.8%65%1357$47k$70k82%7,47813 mi 85Rose-Hulman Institute of TechnologyTerre Haute, Indiana91.7%77%1427$43k$101k78%2,309148 mi 86Kenyon CollegeGambier, Ohio91.6%31%1429$39k$72k82%1,73270 mi 87Yeshiva UniversityNew York, New York91.5%56%1426$50k$71k83%2,852< 1 mi 88University of San DiegoSan Diego, California91.4%52%—$30k$87k84%5,6713 mi 89Fairfield UniversityFairfield, Connecticut91.3%33%1335$48k$89k84%5,3732 mi 90Bates CollegeLewiston, Maine91.3%13%1468$29k$69k90%1,76018 mi 91Gettysburg CollegeGettysburg, Pennsylvania91.2%39%1379$31k$72k83%2,09952 mi 92Oberlin CollegeOberlin, Ohio91.0%34%1447$39k$58k81%2,88711 mi 93Wofford CollegeSpartanburg, South Carolina91.0%52%1296$19k$69k84%1,816178 mi 94Brigham Young UniversityProvo, Utah91.0%68%1376$16k$76k81%32,952547 mi 95Marquette UniversityMilwaukee, Wisconsin91.0%81%1310$31k$78k83%7,6602 mi 96Baylor UniversityWaco, Texas91.0%51%1329$41k$66k80%14,785175 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.