Residential Colleges (Dorm Capacity for at Least 50% of Undergraduates) with the Highest Retention Rates

Residential Colleges (Dorm Capacity for at Least 50% of Undergraduates) 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 588 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 7United States Coast Guard AcademyNew London, Connecticut98.6%22%1339——93%1,1082 mi 8Dartmouth CollegeHanover, New Hampshire98.4%5%1534$30k$97k96%4,54188 mi 9Cornell UniversityIthaca, New York98.4%9%1535$29k$104k95%15,99561 mi 10Princeton UniversityPrinceton, New Jersey98.4%5%1553$6k$110k98%5,70922 mi 11Harvard UniversityCambridge, Massachusetts98.3%4%1553$19k$102k98%7,6014 mi 12Stanford UniversityStanford, California98.2%4%1553$14k$124k92%7,5544 mi 13Claremont McKenna CollegeClaremont, California98.1%10%1527$29k$105k91%1,38834 mi 14Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, New York98.0%4%1553$22k$102k96%8,973< 1 mi 15Carnegie Mellon UniversityPittsburgh, Pennsylvania98.0%12%1546$32k$115k94%7,304110 mi 16Duke UniversityDurham, North Carolina97.9%6%1548$30k$98k97%6,442111 mi 17Pomona CollegeClaremont, California97.5%7%1534$19k$78k93%1,66633 mi 18Rice UniversityHouston, Texas97.4%8%1553$13k$90k95%4,77620 mi 19Amherst CollegeAmherst, Massachusetts97.3%9%1533$23k$78k94%1,91169 mi 20United States Naval AcademyAnnapolis, Maryland97.3%9%1307——93%4,474< 1 mi 21University of California-Los AngelesLos Angeles, California97.3%9%—$13k$83k93%33,4755 mi 22Northeastern UniversityBoston, Massachusetts96.9%5%1497$31k$93k91%17,3262 mi 23Williams CollegeWilliamstown, Massachusetts96.9%8%1533$18k$89k94%2,07698 mi 24Bowdoin CollegeBrunswick, Maine96.8%7%1520$14k$83k95%1,8733 mi 25Georgetown UniversityWashington, District of Columbia96.8%13%1487$41k$103k95%7,5691 mi 26Washington and Lee UniversityLexington, Virginia96.6%14%1498$24k$95k94%1,881121 mi 27Barnard CollegeNew York, New York96.6%9%1520$29k$81k93%3,264< 1 mi 28Hillsdale CollegeHillsdale, Michigan96.6%21%1415——90%1,57361 mi 29United States Air Force AcademyUSAF Academy, Colorado96.5%14%1350——88%4,114711 mi 30Wellesley CollegeWellesley, Massachusetts96.5%14%1520$25k$85k92%2,30013 mi 31Carleton CollegeNorthfield, Minnesota96.5%20%1517$25k$76k90%2,086164 mi 32Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Tennessee96.3%6%1549$16k$92k94%7,208380 mi 33Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, Massachusetts96.0%16%1507$42k$104k91%10,0856 mi 34Yeshivath ViznitzMonsey, New York95.9%——$9k—69%1,1598 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 45United States Military AcademyWest Point, New York94.6%12%1355——87%4,4085 mi 46Davidson CollegeDavidson, North Carolina94.6%13%1469$17k$81k91%1,867167 mi 47Babson CollegeWellesley, Massachusetts94.6%17%1457$41k$124k93%2,72811 mi 48William & MaryWilliamsburg, Virginia94.6%34%1473$19k$73k89%7,0553 mi 49Smith CollegeNorthampton, Massachusetts94.3%21%1500$28k$64k89%2,54467 mi 50Creighton UniversityOmaha, Nebraska94.2%80%1321$32k$74k83%4,348424 mi 51University of California-IrvineIrvine, California94.0%29%—$14k$81k87%30,1974 mi 52University of California-San DiegoLa Jolla, California94.0%27%—$12k$85k86%34,9481 mi 53Swarthmore CollegeSwarthmore, Pennsylvania94.0%7%1534$23k$80k92%1,6133 mi 54Providence CollegeProvidence, Rhode Island94.0%51%1346$49k$87k86%4,2293 mi 55Santa Clara UniversitySanta Clara, California93.9%48%1426$50k$109k88%6,5529 mi 56Haverford CollegeHaverford, Pennsylvania93.8%12%1513$25k$80k90%1,4309 mi 57Scripps CollegeClaremont, California93.8%38%1492$36k$78k83%1,11334 mi 58Pitzer CollegeClaremont, California93.8%25%—$34k$70k83%1,22734 mi 59Lehigh UniversityBethlehem, Pennsylvania93.7%26%1440$37k$106k88%5,89845 mi 60Bucknell UniversityLewisburg, Pennsylvania93.7%29%1410$41k$94k86%3,876105 mi 61Middlebury CollegeMiddlebury, Vermont93.7%11%1508$31k$76k91%2,73895 mi 62Colby CollegeWaterville, Maine93.7%7%1501$17k$80k89%2,40735 mi 63Colorado CollegeColorado Springs, Colorado93.6%18%1365$33k$65k88%2,014705 mi 64Colgate UniversityHamilton, New York93.4%14%1508$29k$85k91%3,18061 mi 65Gonzaga UniversitySpokane, Washington92.9%82%1335$35k$79k86%5,198224 mi 66Samford UniversityBirmingham, Alabama92.9%82%1201$33k$58k77%4,206198 mi 67Trinity UniversitySan Antonio, Texas92.9%26%1416$23k$72k84%2,505120 mi 68University of California-DavisDavis, California92.8%42%—$15k$81k86%32,25327 mi 69Bentley UniversityWaltham, Massachusetts92.7%45%1352$38k$121k87%4,4749 mi 70Wheaton CollegeWheaton, Illinois92.6%87%1380$27k$64k85%2,12124 mi 71Wake Forest UniversityWinston-Salem, North Carolina92.6%22%1475$29k$78k89%5,485183 mi 72Grinnell CollegeGrinnell, Iowa92.6%15%1486$18k$63k88%1,729254 mi 73Tulane University of LouisianaNew Orleans, Louisiana92.5%14%1448$40k$63k86%7,7676 mi 74University of ConnecticutStorrs, Connecticut92.5%52%1348$25k$74k83%19,83531 mi 75Rhodes CollegeMemphis, Tennessee92.3%50%1362$29k$67k85%1,836326 mi 76Macalester CollegeSaint Paul, Minnesota92.3%29%1440$32k$64k87%2,131134 mi 77Bryn Mawr CollegeBryn Mawr, Pennsylvania92.2%29%1396$32k$75k82%1,35911 mi 78George Washington UniversityWashington, District of Columbia92.2%47%1433$37k$91k84%11,1821 mi 79St Olaf CollegeNorthfield, Minnesota92.2%48%1380$24k$66k84%3,093165 mi 80Case Western Reserve UniversityCleveland, Ohio92.1%37%1513$41k$88k87%6,4373 mi 81University of TulsaTulsa, Oklahoma92.1%62%1389$15k$61k72%2,813443 mi 82Dickinson CollegeCarlisle, Pennsylvania92.0%42%1391$38k$70k80%2,27370 mi 83University of Massachusetts-AmherstAmherst, Massachusetts91.9%60%1423$22k$72k83%23,67170 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 89The College of New JerseyEwing, New Jersey91.3%62%1246$28k$73k86%7,10522 mi 90Fairfield UniversityFairfield, Connecticut91.3%33%1335$48k$89k84%5,3732 mi 91Bates CollegeLewiston, Maine91.3%13%1468$29k$69k90%1,76018 mi 92Gettysburg CollegeGettysburg, Pennsylvania91.2%39%1379$31k$72k83%2,09952 mi 93Oberlin CollegeOberlin, Ohio91.0%34%1447$39k$58k81%2,88711 mi 94Wofford CollegeSpartanburg, South Carolina91.0%52%1296$19k$69k84%1,816178 mi 95Marquette UniversityMilwaukee, Wisconsin91.0%81%1310$31k$78k83%7,6602 mi 96Howard UniversityWashington, District of Columbia90.9%41%1213$51k$63k70%10,1083 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.