The College With the Highest First-Year Retention Rate in Every State

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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

Auburn University had a first-year retention rate of 95%.

Ray Tan/Getty Images

Landscaped campus lawn with white flowers and trees framing a brick building with a clock tower. — Auburn University had a first-year retention rate of 95%.

Ray Tan/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 5,915

Retention rate: 95%

ALASKA: University of Alaska Fairbanks

The University of Alaska Fairbanks had a first-year retention rate of 74%.

pabradyphoto/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 451

Retention rate: 74%

ARIZONA: Arizona State University (Campus Immersion)

Arizona State University Campus Immersion had an 87% first-year retention rate.

GummyBone/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 13,867

Retention rate: 87%

ARKANSAS: University of Arkansas

The University of Arkansas had a first-year retention rate of 86%.

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Adjusted first-year cohort: 6,289

Retention rate: 86%

CALIFORNIA: Claremont McKenna College

Claremont McKenna College had a first-year retention rate of 98%.

Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 321

Retention rate: 98%

COLORADO: United States Air Force Academy

The United States Air Force Academy had a first-year retention rate of 97%.

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Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,101

Retention rate: 97%

CONNECTICUT: United States Coast Guard Academy

The United States Coast Guard Academy had a first-year retention rate of 99%.

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Adjusted first-year cohort: 287

Retention rate: 99%

DELAWARE: University of Delaware

The University of Delaware had a first-year retention rate of 92%.

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Adjusted first-year cohort: 4,190

Retention rate: 92%

FLORIDA: University of Florida

The University of Florida had a first-year retention rate of 98%.

Matt Pendleton Photography/iStock

Adjusted first-year cohort: 6,726

Retention rate: 98%

GEORGIA: Georgia Institute of Technology (Main Campus)

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Main Campus) had a first-year retention rate of 98%.

CRobertson/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 3,751

Retention rate: 98%

HAWAII: University of Hawaii at Mānoa

The University of Hawaii at Mānoa had a first-year retention rate of 81%.

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Adjusted first-year cohort: 2,868

Retention rate: 81%

IDAHO: The College of Idaho

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

The University of Chicago had a first-year retention rate of 99%.

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Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,618

Retention rate: 99%

INDIANA: University of Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame had a first-year retention rate of 99%.

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Adjusted first-year cohort: 2,074

Retention rate: 99%

IOWA: Grinnell College

Grinnell College had a first-year retention rate of 93%.

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Adjusted first-year cohort: 457

Retention rate: 93%

KANSAS: University of Kansas

The University of Kansas had a first-year retention rate of 86%.

Wolterk/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 5,159

Retention rate: 86%

KENTUCKY: Centre College

Centre College had a first-year retention rate of 88%.

Courtesy of Centre College

Adjusted first-year cohort: 360

Retention rate: 88%

LOUISIANA: Tulane University of Louisiana

Tulane University of Louisiana had a first-year retention rate of 93%.

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Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,866

Retention rate: 93%

MAINE: Bowdoin College

Bowdoin College had a first-year retention rate of 97%.

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Adjusted first-year cohort: 504

Retention rate: 97%

MARYLAND: Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins University had a first-year retention rate of 98%.

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Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,413

Retention rate: 98%

MASSACHUSETTS: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology had a first-year retention rate of 99%.

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Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,090

Retention rate: 99%

MICHIGAN: Hillsdale College

Hillsdale College had a first-year retention rate of 97%.

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Adjusted first-year cohort: 349

Retention rate: 97%

MINNESOTA: Carleton College

Carleton College had a first-year retention rate of 96%

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Adjusted first-year cohort: 538

Retention rate: 96%

MISSISSIPPI: University of Mississippi

The University of Mississippi had a first-year retention rate of 87%.

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Adjusted first-year cohort: 5,185

Retention rate: 87%

MISSOURI: Washington University in St. Louis

Washington University in St. Louis had a first-year retention rate of 95%.

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Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,823

Retention rate: 95%

MONTANA: Carroll College

Carroll College had a first-year retention rate of 82%.

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Adjusted first-year cohort: 273

Retention rate: 82%

NEBRASKA: Creighton University

Creighton University had a first-year retention rate of 94%.

Wolterk/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,043

Retention rate: 94%

NEVADA: University of Nevada-Reno

The University of Nevada-Reno had a first-year retention rate of 80%.

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Adjusted first-year cohort: 3,388

Retention rate: 80%

NEW HAMPSHIRE: Dartmouth College

Dartmouth College had a first-year retention rate of 98%.

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Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,206

Retention rate: 98%

NEW JERSEY: Princeton University

Princeton University had a first-year retention rate of 98%.

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Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,332

Retention rate: 98%

NEW MEXICO: New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

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

Columbia University had a first-year retention rate of 98%.

Form and Flora/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,498

Retention rate: 98%

NORTH CAROLINA: Duke University

Duke University had a first-year retention rate of 98%.

CRobertson/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,741

Retention rate: 98%

NORTH DAKOTA: University of Mary

The University of Mary had a first-year retention rate of 84%.

Courtesy of Mike McCleary, University of Mary

Adjusted first-year cohort: 559

Retention rate: 84%

OHIO: Ohio State University (Main Campus)

Ohio State University (Main Campus) had a first-year retention rate of 94%.

BSPollard/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 8,028

Retention rate: 94%

OKLAHOMA: University of Tulsa

The University of Tulsa had a first-year retention rate of 92%.

Courtesy of University of Tulsa

Adjusted first-year cohort: 558

Retention rate: 92%

OREGON: Lewis & Clark College

Lewis & Clark College had a first-year retention rate of 89%.

Courtesy of Lewis & Clarke College

Adjusted first-year cohort: 536

Retention rate: 89%

PENNSYLVANIA: University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania had a first-year retention rate of 99%.

Dmitry Vinogradov/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 2,415

Retention rate: 99%

RHODE ISLAND: Brown University

Brown University had a first-year retention rate of 99%.

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Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,692

Retention rate: 99%

SOUTH CAROLINA: Clemson University

Clemson University had a first-year retention rate of 93%.

CRobertson/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 4,488

Retention rate: 93%

SOUTH DAKOTA: Augustana University

Augustana University had a first-year retention rate of 86%.

Wirestock/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 454

Retention rate: 86%

TENNESSEE: Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University had a first-year retention rate of 96%.

CRobertson/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,612

Retention rate: 96%

TEXAS: Rice University

Rice University had a first-year retention rate of 97%.

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Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,118

Retention rate: 97%

UTAH: Brigham Young University

Brigham Young University had a first-year retention rate of 91%.

CRobertson/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 3,367

Retention rate: 91%

VERMONT: Middlebury College

Middlebury College had a first-year retention rate of 94%.

Courtesy of Middlebury College

Adjusted first-year cohort: 615

Retention rate: 94%

VIRGINIA: University of Virginia (Main Campus)

The University of Virginia (Main Campus) had a first-year retention rate of 98%.

Leonid Andronov/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 3,965

Retention rate: 98%

WASHINGTON: University of Washington (Seattle campus)

The University of Washington (Seattle Campus) had a first-year retention rate of 95%.

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Adjusted first-year cohort: 6,928

Retention rate: 95%

WEST VIRGINIA: West Virginia University

West Virginia University had a first-year retention rate of 83%.

BackyardProduction/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Adjusted first-year cohort: 4,370

Retention rate: 83%

WISCONSIN: University of Wisconsin-Madison

The University of Wisconsin-Madison had a first-year retention rate of 96%.

GummyBone/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 7,937

Retention rate: 96%

WYOMING: University of Wyoming

The University of Wyoming had a first-year retention rate of 80%.

GummyBone/Getty Images

Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,422

Retention rate: 80%