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The college with the highest first-year retention rate in every state

The college with the highest first-year retention rate in every state

Roya Shahidi Business 05 Oct, 2026 Americas

College retention rates are an important admissions factor because they're a strong indicator of student satisfaction.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology's columned Great Dome building stands behind a lawn and autumn trees.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology had a first-year retention rate of 99%.

Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

  • The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has a reputation for producing famous tech dropouts.
  • But in reality, 99% of first-year students return — the highest rate in Massachusetts.
  • Here is the college with the highest first-year retention rate in every state.

Getting a student to choose a college is one thing. Getting them to come back for another year is just as important.

Ranging from Ivy League universities to military academies, Business Insider calculated the college with the highest retention rate in each state.

The first-year retention rate shows the proportion of students who return to their studies in the fall for their sophomore year. It's a metric colleges care about because it can indicate higher student satisfaction and strong academic support.

Business Insider compiled each state's winner using provisional fall 2024 data from the Department of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).

The retention rate covers full-time, first-time bachelor-seeking students who entered in fall 2023 and measures whether they returned for fall 2024.

The cohort size is adjusted to account for any permitted exclusions, such as a student's death.

Business Insider also limited the data to degree-granting institutions only and set a minimum cohort size of 100 to avoid very small cohorts inflating retention rates.

Because the data is provisional, the figures could be revised and should not be considered final counts.

Here are the colleges with the highest retention rate in every state.

ALABAMA: Auburn University
Landscaped campus lawn with white flowers and trees framing a brick building with a clock tower.
Auburn University

Ray Tan/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 5,915

Retention rate: 95%

ALASKA: University of Alaska Fairbanks
Tall rocket monument stands beside a multi-story building with antenna dishes in a landscaped outdoor plaza.
University of Alaska Fairbanks

pabradyphoto/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 451

Retention rate: 74%

ARIZONA: Arizona State University (Campus Immersion)
Historic red-brick Old Main building at Arizona State University stands behind a courtyard fountain and landscaped lawn.

GummyBone/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 13,867

Retention rate: 87%

ARKANSAS: University of Arkansas
Large beige brick institutional building with rows of windows, a central entrance, lawn, sidewalk, and outdoor sculpture.

neiu20001/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 6,289

Retention rate: 86%

CALIFORNIA: Claremont McKenna College
Courtyard campus with lawn, tiled-roof buildings, a glass pavilion, reflecting pool, trees, and people walking on paths.

Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 321

Retention rate: 98%

COLORADO: United States Air Force Academy
United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel stands behind evergreen trees and a patterned plaza under a partly cloudy sky.

sanfel/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,101

Retention rate: 97%

CONNECTICUT: United States Coast Guard Academy
Uniformed graduates sit on a football field during an outdoor commencement ceremony by the water.
Cadet Memorial Field at the United States Coast Guard Academy.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 287

Retention rate: 99%

DELAWARE: University of Delaware
DuPont Hall with white columns faces a green campus lawn under a clear blue sky.
DuPont Hall on the campus of the University of Delaware in Newark houses the schools construction and civil engineering department

Kirkikis/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 4,190

Retention rate: 92%

FLORIDA: University of Florida
The UF Archway known as the UF Arch on Friday, May 3, 2024 at the Heavener Hall at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL.
The UF Archway known as the UF Arch on Friday, May 3, 2024 at the Heavener Hall at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL.

Matt Pendleton Photography/iStock

Adjusted first-year cohort: 6,726

Retention rate: 98%

GEORGIA: Georgia Institute of Technology (Main Campus)
Red brick campus tower with TECH sign rises behind trees under a clear blue sky.

CRobertson/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 3,751

Retention rate: 98%

HAWAII: University of Hawaii at Mānoa
University of Hawaii Manoa campus building with columns, lawns, trees, and an overcast sky.

hapabapa/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 2,868

Retention rate: 81%

IDAHO: The College of Idaho
Tree-lined park with a river, large rocks, manicured grass, and a small bridge under a clear blue sky.
The College of Idaho is located in Caldwell, Idaho.

Mike Worley/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Adjusted first-year cohort: 292

Retention rate: 82%

ILLINOIS: University of Chicago
Aerial view of Gothic campus buildings at the University of Chicago with Lake Michigan and city towers beyond.

Jacob Boomsma/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,618

Retention rate: 99%

INDIANA: University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame Main Building’s Golden Dome rises beyond a tree-lined campus walkway in autumn.

Joe Hendrickson/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 2,074

Retention rate: 99%

IOWA: Grinnell College
Grinnell College entrance sign stands on a grassy campus lawn surrounded by trees and brick buildings.

Wolterk/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 457

Retention rate: 93%

KANSAS: University of Kansas
Students walk outside the University of Kansas Budig Hall and Hoch Auditorium entrance on a sunny campus day.
Budig Hall and Hoch Auditorium at the University of Kansas.

Wolterk/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 5,159

Retention rate: 86%

KENTUCKY: Centre College
A person sits on a grassy lawn at Centre College, Kentucky with a notebook in front of a large brick building with white columns.

Courtesy of Centre College

Adjusted first-year cohort: 360

Retention rate: 88%

LOUISIANA: Tulane University of Louisiana
Historic stone building and shaded lawn with a tall hanging ribbon installation under a clear blue sky.

Laser1987/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,866

Retention rate: 93%

MAINE: Bowdoin College
Red brick and stone Gothic-style building facade with crenellations and pointed spires against a blue sky.

rossandgaffney/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Adjusted first-year cohort: 504

Retention rate: 97%

MARYLAND: Johns Hopkins University
Red-brick institutional buildings with white-trimmed windows stand behind a broad green lawn under a cloudy sky.

Amy Sparwasser/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,413

Retention rate: 98%

MASSACHUSETTS: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
People gather outside the columned entrance of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's William Barton Rogers Building.

HABesen/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,090

Retention rate: 99%

MICHIGAN: Hillsdale College
A person sits on a bench with a notebook outside a large brick building with columns and arched windows.

Chris duMond/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 349

Retention rate: 97%

MINNESOTA: Carleton College
Historic stone Wills Hall with a clock tower stands on a campus lawn under a clear blue sky.

Cynthia Shirk/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 538

Retention rate: 96%

MISSISSIPPI: University of Mississippi
Lyceum Building at Ole Miss, showing pathway and gardens
Lyceum Building at Ole Miss, showing pathway and gardens

Gerald Zaffuts/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 5,185

Retention rate: 87%

MISSOURI: Washington University in St. Louis
Brookings Hall at Washington University in St. Louis stands behind a brick walkway and green campus lawn.

JByard/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,823

Retention rate: 95%

MONTANA: Carroll College
Aerial view of Carroll College Nelson Stadium with football field, bleachers, campus buildings, and surrounding trees.

GummyBone/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 273

Retention rate: 82%

NEBRASKA: Creighton University
Stone church with twin spires and crosses stands beside Creighton banners on a landscaped campus plaza.

Wolterk/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,043

Retention rate: 94%

NEVADA: University of Nevada-Reno
Historic brick building stands beyond a broad lawn framed by trees and glowing lights at dusk.

Wirestock/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Adjusted first-year cohort: 3,388

Retention rate: 80%

NEW HAMPSHIRE: Dartmouth College
Baker-Berry Library’s clock tower rises above a brick campus building framed by trees and lawn.

arlutz73/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,206

Retention rate: 98%

NEW JERSEY: Princeton University
Ivy-covered Gothic stone campus building with an arched passageway beneath a cloudy sky.

Brian Logan/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,332

Retention rate: 98%

NEW MEXICO: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Radio telescope dishes line a desert plain beneath a blue sky with scattered clouds.
New Mexico Tech is located in Socorro, New Mexico.

Greg Meland/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Adjusted first-year cohort: 222

Retention rate: 77%

NEW YORK: Columbia University in the City of New York
People sit on the steps outside Columbia University’s Low Memorial Library beneath the Alma Mater statue.

Form and Flora/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,498

Retention rate: 98%

NORTH CAROLINA: Duke University
Aerial view of Duke University Chapel and surrounding Gothic campus buildings at sunset.

CRobertson/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,741

Retention rate: 98%

NORTH DAKOTA: University of Mary
People with backpacks walk outside the LUMEN VITAE UNIVERSITY CENT entrance on a sunny campus walkway.

Courtesy of Mike McCleary, University of Mary

Adjusted first-year cohort: 559

Retention rate: 84%

OHIO: Ohio State University (Main Campus)
Red The Ohio State University sign stands on a grassy campus lawn with autumn trees and buildings.

BSPollard/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 8,028

Retention rate: 94%

OKLAHOMA: University of Tulsa
Aerial view of a university campus quadrangle with lawns, intersecting walkways, academic buildings, and a sunset sky.

Courtesy of University of Tulsa

Adjusted first-year cohort: 558

Retention rate: 92%

OREGON: Lewis & Clark College
Three people sit beside a reflecting pool below stone terraces and a large house surrounded by lush gardens.

Courtesy of Lewis & Clarke College

Adjusted first-year cohort: 536

Retention rate: 89%

PENNSYLVANIA: University of Pennsylvania
Old Main at Penn State stands behind snow-covered grounds under a clear blue sky.

Dmitry Vinogradov/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 2,415

Retention rate: 99%

RHODE ISLAND: Brown University
Red brick historic building with arched entrance, stairs, trees, and lampposts under a blue sky.

tupungato/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,692

Retention rate: 99%

SOUTH CAROLINA: Clemson University
Clemson University’s red brick clock tower stands behind trees and a seated statue on landscaped campus grounds.

CRobertson/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 4,488

Retention rate: 93%

SOUTH DAKOTA: Augustana University
Snow-covered trees surround a stone fountain in front of brick campus-style buildings under a clear blue sky.
Augustana University

Wirestock/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 454

Retention rate: 86%

TENNESSEE: Vanderbilt University
A statue and illuminated stone monument stand in a brick campus courtyard with autumn trees and red brick buildings.

CRobertson/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,612

Retention rate: 96%

TEXAS: Rice University
Rice University entrance sign with owl crest stands beside trees and a campus walkway.

JHVEPhoto/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,118

Retention rate: 97%

UTAH: Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University scoreboard with a large Y logo stands beyond trees and a field below mountains.

CRobertson/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 3,367

Retention rate: 91%

VERMONT: Middlebury College
Aerial view of Middlebury College campus with Old Chapel, tree-lined lawns, stone buildings, and distant mountains.

Courtesy of Middlebury College

Adjusted first-year cohort: 615

Retention rate: 94%

VIRGINIA: University of Virginia (Main Campus)
The Rotunda at the University of Virginia stands behind broad steps under a blue, partly cloudy sky.

Leonid Andronov/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 3,965

Retention rate: 98%

WASHINGTON: University of Washington (Seattle campus)
Drumheller Fountain sprays in front of brick University of Washington campus buildings under a cloudy blue sky.

gmc3101/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 6,928

Retention rate: 95%

WEST VIRGINIA: West Virginia University
Red-brick university buildings with a lit clock tower surround a landscaped courtyard at sunset.

BackyardProduction/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Adjusted first-year cohort: 4,370

Retention rate: 83%

WISCONSIN: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Red brick collegiate building with arched entrance and pedestrians on a sunny tree-lined campus walkway.

GummyBone/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 7,937

Retention rate: 96%

WYOMING: University of Wyoming
Glass greenhouse structure stands beside a brick building on a landscaped lawn under a partly cloudy sky.

GummyBone/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,422

Retention rate: 80%

Read the original article on Business Insider

Roya Shahidi

Source: Business Insider

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