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

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 Adjusted first-year cohort: 5,915 Retention rate: 95% ALASKA: University of Alaska Fairbanks University Adjusted first-year cohort: 451 Retention rate: 74% ARIZONA: Arizona State University (Campus Immersion) Adjusted first-year cohort: 13,867 Retention rate: 87% ARKANSAS: Adjusted first-year cohort: 6,289 Retention rate: 86% CALIFORNIA: Claremont McKenna College Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Adjusted first-year cohort: 321 Retention rate: 98% COLORADO: United States Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,101 Retention rate: 97% CONNECTICUT: United States Coast Guard Academy Cadet Memorial Field at the United States Coast Guard Academy. Adjusted first-year cohort: 287 Retention rate: 99% DELAWARE: University of Delaware DuPont Hall on the campus of the University of Delaware in Newark houses the schools construction and 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. Adjusted first-year cohort: 6,726 Retention rate: 98% GEORGIA: Georgia Institute of Technology (Main Campus) Adjusted first-year cohort: 3,751 Retention rate: 98% HAWAII: University of Hawaii at Mā Adjusted first-year cohort: 2,868 Retention rate: 81% IDAHO: The College of Idaho The College of Idaho is located in Caldwell, Idaho. /iStockphoto Adjusted first-year cohort: 292 Retention rate: 82% ILLINOIS: University Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,618 Retention rate: 99% INDIANA: University of Adjusted first-year cohort: 2,074 Retention rate: 99% IOWA: Adjusted first-year cohort: 457 Retention rate: 93% KANSAS: University of Kansas Budig Hall and Hoch Auditorium at the University of Kansas. Adjusted first-year cohort: 5,159 Retention rate: 86% KENTUCKY: Centre College Courtesy of Centre College Adjusted first-year cohort: 360 Retention rate: 88% LOUISIANA: Tulane Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,866 Retention rate: 93% MAINE: /iStockphoto Adjusted first-year cohort: 504 Retention rate: 97% MARYLAND: Johns Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,413 Retention rate: 98% MASSACHUSETTS: Massachusetts Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,090 Retention rate: 99% MICHIGAN: Adjusted first-year cohort: 349 Retention rate: 97% MINNESOTA: Adjusted first-year cohort: 538 Retention rate: 96% MISSISSIPPI: University of Mississippi Lyceum Building at Ole Miss, showing pathway Adjusted first-year cohort: 5,185 Retention rate: 87% MISSOURI: Washington University in St. Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,823 Retention rate: 95% MONTANA: Adjusted first-year cohort: 273 Retention rate: 82% NEBRASKA: Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,043 Retention rate: 94% NEVADA: /iStockphoto Adjusted first-year cohort: 3,388 Retention rate: 80% NEW HAMPSHIRE: Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,206 Retention rate: 98% NEW JERSEY: 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. /iStockphoto Adjusted first-year cohort: 222 Retention rate: 77% NEW YORK: Columbia University in the City of New Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,498 Retention rate: 98% NORTH CAROLINA: Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,741 Retention rate: 98% NORTH DAKOTA: University of Mary Courtesy of Mike McCleary, University of Mary Adjusted first-year cohort: 559 Retention rate: 84% OHIO: Ohio State University (Main Campus) Adjusted first-year cohort: 8,028 Retention rate: 94% OKLAHOMA: University of Tulsa Courtesy of University of Tulsa Adjusted first-year cohort: 558 Retention rate: 92% OREGON: Lewis & Clark College Courtesy of Lewis & Clarke College Adjusted first-year cohort: 536 Retention rate: 89% PENNSYLVANIA: University Adjusted first-year cohort: 2,415 Retention rate: 99% RHODE ISLAND: /iStockphoto Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,692 Retention rate: 99% SOUTH CAROLINA: Adjusted first-year cohort: 4,488 Retention rate: 93% SOUTH DAKOTA: Augustana Adjusted first-year cohort: 454 Retention rate: 86% TENNESSEE: Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,612 Retention rate: 96% TEXAS: Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,118 Retention rate: 97% UTAH: Adjusted first-year cohort: 3,367 Retention rate: 91% VERMONT: Middlebury College Courtesy of Middlebury College Adjusted first-year cohort: 615 Retention rate: 94% VIRGINIA: University of Virginia (Main Campus) Adjusted first-year cohort: 3,965 Retention rate: 98% WASHINGTON: University of Washington (Seattle campus) Adjusted first-year cohort: 6,928 Retention rate: 95% WEST VIRGINIA: /iStockphoto Adjusted first-year cohort: 4,370 Retention rate: 83% WISCONSIN: Adjusted first-year cohort: 7,937 Retention rate: 96% WYOMING: Adjusted first-year cohort: 1,422 Retention rate: 80% Read the original article on Business Insider

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