College and University Retention Rates, Graduation Rates and Acceptance Rates At a Glance for 2020

When deciding what school to attend, prospective college students deal with overwhelming information. Acceptance, Retention, and Graduation rates have become quintessential metrics that students consider. Experts say they may not be the end-all and be-all in college and university applications, but these factors are typically associated with academic prestige, quality of instruction, overall learning experience, and post-graduation or career projections.

Below is a collection of Acceptance, Retention, and Graduation rates featuring 667 colleges and universities across the United States. Our all-encompassing list includes all higher education institutions in the country: public, private, for-profit, non-profit, community, and technical or professional schools. The statistics also apply to all colleges and universities that offer on-campus and online programs, from the associate to the graduate levels, as applicable.

Primarily, our information is sourced from the each of the schools' 2019-2020 data. We also looked to the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES.org) to verify our data. We also indicated where a specific metric is unreleased or unavailable.

This table will be periodically adjusted, based on available data, to reflect up-to-date information.

Below our table is a set of Frequently Asked Questions on College Acceptance, Retention, and Graduation statistics. It is our hope that, as you peruse our data, you can come up with a well-researched decision concerning your college future. Good luck!

Hamden

University or College Logo	Name of University or College	City	State	Graduation Rate	Acceptance Rate	Retention Rate
	A.T. Still University	Kirksville	Missouri	36% to 39%	9%	68%
	Abilene Christian University	Abilene	Texas	53%	50%	79%
	Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College	Tifton	Georgia	22.8%	70.2%	64%
	Academy of Art University	San Francisco	California	4.4%	100%	76%
	Adams State University	Alamosa	Colorado	35.2%	60 to 70%	62%
	Adelphi-University	Garden City	New York	60.00%	72%	84%
	Adler Graduate School	Richfield	Minnesota	82%	80% to 90%	95%
	Adler University	Chicago	Illinois	N/A	0%	70% to 75%
	Adrian College	Adrian	Michigan	53.8%	60% to 70%	71%
	Advent Health University	Orlando	Florida	30%	90% to 100%	66%
	Agnes Scott College	Decatur	Georgia	64%	62%	85% to 87%
class="center">	Air Force Institute of Technology	Hobson Way Wright-Patterson AFB	Ohio	66%	40% to 50%	89%
	Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences	Albany	New York	69%	66%	88%
	Albion College	Albion	Michigan	53%	15%	91%
	Albright College	Reading	Pennsylvania	44%	14%	93%
	Alfred University	Alfred	New York	44%	12%	95%
	Alice Lloyd College	Pippa Passes	Kentucky	68%	7%	97%
	Allegheny College	Meadville	Pennsylvania	66%	10%	99%
class="center">	Alexandria Technical and Community College	Alexandria	Minnesota	64%	N/A	71%
	Alma College	Alma	Michigan	52%	8%	98%
	Alvernia University	Reading	Pennsylvania	42%	74%	76%
	American Medical Academy	Miami	Florida	75%	N/A	83%
	American University	Washington	District of Columbia (DC)	75%	35%	88%
	Amherst College	Amherst	Massachussetts	85%	14%	96%
	Anderson University	Anderson	South Carolina	55%	60%	75%
	Andrews University	Berrien Springs	Michigan	54%	39%	80%
	Appalachian State University	Boone	North Carolina	52%	66%	86%
	Apex School of Theology	Durham	North Carolina	95%	N/A	97%
	Arcadia University	Glenside	Pennsylvania	64%	59%	79%
	Arizona Christian University	Glendale	Arizona	45%	6%	94%
	Arizona State University- West	Tempe	Arizona	57%	4%	92%
class="center">	Arizona State University-Tempe	Tempe	Arizona	52%	5%	90%
	Art Academy of Cincinnati	Cincinnati	Ohio	63%	24%	88%
	Asbury University	Wilmore	Kentucky	63%	57%	81%
	Ashland University	Ashland	Ohio	48%	77%	75%
	Assumption College	Worcester	Massachussetts	72%	76%	83%
	Auburn University	Auburn	Alabama	50%	78%	90%
	Augsburg College	Minneapolis	Minnesota	49%	59%	79%
	Augustana College	Rock Island	Illinois	70%	49%	86%
	Augustana University	Sioux Falls	South Dakota	53%	65%	84%
	Austin College	Sherman	Texas	66%	7%	86%
	Averett University	Danville	Virginia	100%	55%	N/A
	Avila University	Kansas City	Missouri	55%	51%	74%
	Azusa Pacific University	Azusa	California	45%	60%	83%
	Babson College	Babson Park	Massachussetts	89%	26%	95%
	Bacone College	Muskogee	Oklahoma	10%	72%	93%
	Baker University	Baldwin City	Kansas	46%	82%	77%
	Baldwin Wallace University	Berea	Ohio	46%	60%	83%
	Ball State University	Muncie	Indiana	60%	61%	82%
	Baptist Health System School of Health Professions	San Antonio	Texas	90%	N/A	N/A
	Baptist Missionary Association Theological Seminary	Jacksonville	Texas	50%	70%	N/A
	Bard College	Annandale-on-Hudson	New York	66%	68%	66%
	Barnard College	New York City	New York	87%	24%	62%
	Barton College	Wilson	North Carolina	41%	16%	64%
	Bates College	Lewiston	Maine	86%	25%	60%
	Bay Path University	Longmeadow	Minnesota	55%	77%	80%
	Baylor University	Waco	Texas	63%	75%	78%
	Bellarmine University	Louisville	Kentucky	56%	73%	76%
	Belmont University	Nashville	Tennessee	62%	80%	83%
	Beloit College	Beloit	Wisconsin	72%	71%	81%
	Bemidji State University	Bemidji	Minnesota	N/A	93%	N/A
	Benedictine College	Atchison	Kansas	47%	98%	79%
	Bennington College	Bennington	Vermont	64%	77%	77%
	Bentley University	Waltham	Massachussetts	82%	75%	75%
	Berea College	Berea	Kentucky	48%	46%	73%
	Berklee College of Music	Boston	Massachussetts	56%	29%	87%
	Berkeley College	Woodland Park	New Jersey	62%	98%	85%
	Berry College	Mount Berry	Georgia	60%	55%	83%
	Bethany Lutheran College	Mankato	Minnesota	46%	53%	81%
	Bethel College- Indiana	Mishawaka	Indiana	64%	66%	78%
	Bethel University	Mckenzie	Tennessee	61%	95%	84%
	Bethel University	St. Paul	Minnesota	67%	95%	82%
	Bethesda University	Anaheim	California	77%	N/A	68%
	Binghamton University, State University of New York	Binghamton	New York	72%	70%	66%
	Biola University	La Mirada	California	55%	70%	85%
	Birmingham-Southern College	Birmingham	Alabama	63%	68%	87%
	Bismarck State College	Bismarck	North Dakota	65%	100%	91%
	Bluefield College	Bluefield	Virginia	54%	98%	92%
	Bluffton University	Bluffton	Ohio	50%	66%	89%
	Bob Jones University	Greenville	South Carolina	53%	64%	91%
	Boston Architectural College	Boston	Massachussetts	90%	100%	93%
	Boston College	Chestnut Hill	Massachussetts	88%	29%	95%
	Boston University	Boston	Massachussetts	84%	22%	93%
	Bowdoin College	Peoria	Illinois	59%	66%	86%
	Brandeis University	Waltham	Massachussetts	80%	34%	92%
	Brenau University	Gainesville	Georgia	48%	66%	59%
	Bridgewater College	Bridgewater	Virginia	58%	63%	61%
	Brigham Young University	Provo	Utah	80%	48%	86%
	Brigham Young University	Rexburg	Idaho	61%	96%	68%
	Brown University	Providence	Rhode Island	85%	9%	98%
	Bryan College	Dayton	Tennessee	42%	46%	65%
	Bryan College of Health Sciences	Lincoln	Nebraska	79%	86%	86%
	Bryant University	Smithfield	Rhode Island	77%	84%	88%
	Bryn Mawr College	Bryn Mawr	Pennsylvania	79%	82%	90%
	Bucknell University	Lewisburg	Pennsylvania	85%	31%	92%
	Buena Vista University	Storm Lake	Iowa	46%	68%	78%
	Butler University	Indianapolis	Indiana	73%	66%	84%
	Cabrini University	Radnor	Pennsylvania	48%	46%	84%
	Caldwell University	Caldwell	New Jersey	64%	64%	82%
	California Baptist University	Riverside	California	60%	65%	76%
	California Institute of Technology	Pasadena	California	81%	8%	98%
	California Institute of the Arts	Valencia	California	56%	28%	87%
	California Lutheran University	Thousand Oaks	California	69%	62%	84%
	California Polytechnic State University- San Luis Obispo	San Luis Obispo	California	71%	31%	86%
	California State University Maritime Academy	Vallejo	California	48%	60%	83%
	California State University San Marcos	San Marcos	California	51%	54%	81%
	California State University, Bakersfield	Bakersfield	California	53%	100%	86%
	California State University, Chico	Chico	California	64%	63%	84%
	California State University, Fresno	Fresno	California	58%	52%	83%
	California State University, Fullerton	Fullerton	California	62%	42%	88%
	California State University, Long Beach	Long Beach	California	67%	34%	89%
	California State University, Pomona	Pomona	California	63%	39%	89%
	California University of Pennsylvania	California	Pennsylvania	42%	85%	77%
	Calumet College of St. Joseph	Whiting	Indiana	44%	20%	88%
	Calvin University	Grand Rapids	Michigan	62%	74%	86%
	Cameron University	Lawton	Oklahoma	64%	100%	85%
	Canisius College	Buffalo	New York	63%	87%	83%
	Capital University	Columbus	Ohio	50%	61%	89%
	Capitol Technology University	South Laurel	Maryland	35%	97%	87%
	Carleton College	Northfield	Minnesota	88%	23%	79%
	Carlow University	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	50%	95%	77%
	Carnegie Mellon University	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	75%	25%	97%
	Carroll College	Helena	Montana	53%	73%	75%
	Carroll University	Waukesha	Wisconsin	51%	49%	80%
	Carthage College	Kenosha	Wisconsin	59%	57%	82%
	Case Western Reserve University	Cleveland	Ohio	65%	63%	86%
	Catawba College	Salisbury	North Carolina	44%	42%	90%
	Catholic University of America	Washington	District of Columbia	69%	79%	86%
	Cazenovia College	Cazenovia	New York	53%	51%	81%
	Cedar Crest College	Allentown	Pennsylvania	58%	67%	79%
	Cedarville University	Cedarville	Ohio	61%	74%	86%
	Centenary University	Hackettstown	New Jersey	45%	43%	80%
	Central College	Pella	Iowa	67%	64%	78%
	Central Michigan University	Mount Pleasant	Michigan	59%	69%	79%
	Central Washington University	Ellensburg	Washington	52%	82%	79%
	Centre College	Danville	Kentucky	80%	78%	76%
	Chaminade University of Honolulu	Honolulu	Hawaii	47%	82%	74%
	Champlain College	Burlington	Vermont	54%	66%	79%
	Chapman University	Orange	California	70%	48%	90%
	Chatham University	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	56%	55%	76%
	Chestnut Hill College	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	50%	48%	75%
	Chicago State University	Chicago	Illinois	65%	30%	80%
	Christopher Newport University	Newport News	Virginia	63%	46%	77%
	City University of Seattle	Bellevue	Washington	N/A	100%	N/A
	Claremont McKenna College	Claremont	California	82%	9%	79%
	Clarion University of Pennsylvania	Clarion	Pennsylvania	42%	96%	73%
	Clark University	Worcester	Massachussetts	71%	78%	75%
	Clarke University	Dubuque	Iowa	57%	72%	76%
	Clarkson College	Omaha	Nebraska	71%	52%	71%
	Clarkson University	Potsdam	New York	60%	68%	88%
	Clear Creek Baptist Bible College	Pineville	Kentucky	46%	N/A	80%
	Cleary University	Howell	Michigan	52%	72%	65%
	Clemson University	Clemson	South Carolina	59%	51%	93%
	Cleveland Institute of Art	Cleveland	Ohio	59%	65%	83%
	Coe College	Cedar Rapids	Iowa	60%	63%	85%
	Colby College	Waterville	Maine	87%	28%	89%
	Colby-Sawyer College	New London	New Hampshire	53%	15%	91%
	Colgate University	Hamilton	New York	84%	26%	95%
	College at Brockport– SUNY	Brockport	New York	50%	20%	97%
	College of Charleston	Charleston	South Carolina	62%	22%	99%
	College of Idaho	Caldwell	Idaho	56%	23%	98%
	College of New Jersey	Ewing	New Jersey	76%	25%	94%
	College of New Rochelle	New Rochelle	New York	56%	29%	92%
	College of Our Lady of the Elms	Chicopee	Massachussetts	54%	27%	96%
	College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University	St. Joseph	Minnesota	77%	29%	90%
	College of Saint Elizabeth	Morris County	New Jersey	49%	63%	71%
	College of Saint Mary	Omaha	Nebraska	44%	42%	69%
	College of Saint Rose	Albany	New York	48%	46%	67%
	College of Saint Scholastica	Duluth	Minnesota	61%	59%	65%
	College of the Atlantic	Bar Harbor	Maine	53%	51%	63%
	College of the Holy Cross	Worcester	Massachussetts	88%	86%	61%
	College of the Ozarks	Point Lookout	Missouri	53%	14%	58%
	College of William & Mary	Williamsburg	Virginia	85%	33%	95%
	College of Wooster	Wooster	Ohio	70%	36%	97%
	Colorado Christian University	Lakewood	Colorado	47%	N/A	79%
	Colorado College	Colorado Springs	Colorado	84%	18%	77%
	Colorado School of Mines	Golden	Colorado	59%	38%	94%
	Colorado State University	Fort Collins	Colorado	46%	81%	87%
	Columbia College	Columbia	South Carolina	43%	89%	76%
	Columbia International University	Columbia	South Carolina	61%	59%	78%
	Columbia University	New York City	New York	88%	7%	99%
	Concordia College-Moorhead	Moorhead	Minnesota	70%	78%	82%
	Concordia University Chicago	River Forest	Illinois	50%	50%	62%
	Concordia University Irvine	Irvine	California	58%	59%	72%
	Concordia University Wisconsin	Mequon	Wisconsin	43%	67%	76%
	Concordia University	Seward	Nebraska	49%	78%	76%
	Concordia University, Portland	Portland	Oregon	48%	51%	74%
	Concordia University, St. Paul	St. Paul	Minnesota	48%	55%	70%
	Connecticut College	New London	Connecticut	78%	76%	72%
	Converse College	Spartanburg	South Carolina	48%	46%	74%
	Cooper Union	New York City	New York	61%	15%	82%
	Corban University	Salem	Oregon	59%	31%	80%
	Cornell College	Mount Vernon	Iowa	68%	70%	82%
	Cornell University	Ithaca	New York	88%	14%	97%
	Cornerstone University	Grand Rapids	Michigan	47%	13%	99%
	Cornish College of the Arts	Seattle	Washington	59%	57%	94%
	Cottey College	Nevada	Missouri	58%	56%	96%
	Covenant College	Lookout Mountain	Georgia	65%	100%	98%
	Cox College	Springfield	Missouri	99%	59%	100%
	Creighton University	Omaha	Nebraska	69%	70%	90%
	Crown College	St. Bonifacius	Minnesota	56%	53%	68%
	Culver-Stockton College	Canton	Missouri	58%	51%	73%
	Cumberland University	Lebanon	Tennessee	45%	49%	70%
	CUNY Baruch College	New York City	New York	72%	28%	93%
	CUNY Bernard M Baruch College	Manhattan	New York	70%	32%	91%
	CUNY Brooklyn College	Brooklyn	New York	54%	37%	82%
	CUNY– College of Staten Island	Staten Island	New York	52%	99%	84%
	CUNY Hunter College	New York City	New York	54%	39%	83%
	CUNY Queens College	New York City	New York	58%	42%	85%
	Curry College	Milton	Maine	45%	43%	87%
	Curtis Institute of Music	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	60%	4%	89%
	Daemen College	Amherst	New York	42%	40%	76%
	Dakota State University	Madison	Wisconsin	38%	81%	74%
	Dakota Wesleyan University	Mitchell	South Dakota	46%	79%	74%
	Dallas Baptist University	Dallas	Texas	42%	42%	72%
	Daniel Webster College	Nashua	New Hampshire	49%	62%	68%
	Dartmouth College	Hanover	New Hampshire	86%	11%	70%
	Davenport University	Grand Rapids	Michigan	88%	93%	72%
	Davidson College	Davidson	North Carolina	90%	22%	86%
	Delaware Valley University	Doylestown	Pennsylvania	46%	21%	84%
	Denison University	Granville	Ohio	82%	23%	82%
	DePaul University	Chicago	Illinois	59%	72%	84%
	DePauw University	Greencastle	Indiana	81%	70%	86%
	Des Moines University	Des Moines	Iowa	71%	68%	80%
	DeSales University	Center Valley	Pennsylvania	62%	78%	78%
	Dickinson College	Carlisle	Pennsylvania	81%	76%	80%
	Dixie State University	St. George	Utah	83%	100%	83%
	Doane University	Crete	Nebraska	55%	53%	81%
	Dominican University	River Forest	Illinois	49%	63%	79%
	Dominican University of California	San Rafael	California	57%	55%	83%
	Dordt University	Sioux Center	Iowa	69%	70%	81%
	Drake University	Des Moines	Iowa	71%	88%	67%
	Drexel University	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	68%	75%	84%
	Drury University	Springfield	Missouri	45%	11%	86%
	Duke University	Durham	North Carolina	87%	11%	87%
	Duquesne University	Durham	North Carolina	68%	76%	85%
	D'Youville College	Buffalo	New York	70%	74%	87%
	Earlham College	Richmond	Indiana	58%	54%	84%
	East Carolina University	Greenville	Illinois	62%	69%	80%
	East Central University	Ada	Oklahoma	65%	98%	84%
	Eastern Connecticut State University	Willimantic	Connecticut	48%	46%	82%
	Eastern Mennonite University	Harrisonburg	Virginia	52%	50%	78%
	Eastern University	St. Davids	Pennsylvania	53%	52%	74%
	Eckerd College	Saint Petersburg	Florida	63%	50%	76%
	ECPI University	Virginia Beach	Virginia	33%	41%	83%
	Edgewood College	Madison	Wisconsin	60%	77%	81%
	Edinboro University	Edinboro	Pennsylvania	72%	95%	86%
	Edward Waters College	Jacksonville	Florida	70%	27%	84%
	Elizabethtown College	Elizabethtown	Pennsylvania	68%	73%	82%
	Elmhurst College	Elmhurst	Illinois	51%	55%	79%
	Elmira College	Elmira	New York	61%	52%	92%
	Elon University	Elon	North Carolina	78%	57%	90%
	Emerson College	Boston	Massachussetts	75%	49%	100%
	Emmanuel College	Boston	Massachussetts	58%	47%	84%
	Emmaus Bible College	Dubuque	Iowa	75%	35%	83%
	Emory & Henry College	Emory	Virginia	48%	33%	96%
	Emory University	Atlanta	Georgia	83%	27%	94%
	Endicott College	Beverly	Massachussetts	72%	73%	86%
	Erskine College	Due West	South Carolina	55%	71%	88%
	Eureka College	Eureka	Illinois	48%	46%	75%
	Evangel University	Springfield	Missouri	54%	61%	71%
	Evergreen State College	Olympia	Washington	42%	98%	73%
	Fairfield University	Fairfield	Connecticut	78%	65%	89%
	Faith Baptist Bible College and Theological Seminary	Ankeny	Iowa	66%	64%	80%
	Faith Evangelical College and Seminary	Tacoma	Washington	80%	N/A	67%
	Fashion Institute of Technology	New York City	New York	75%	41%	90%
	Flagler College	St. Augustine	Florida	44%	52%	92%
	Florida International University	Miami	Florida	58%	50%	88%
	Florida Memorial University	Miami	Florida	73%	21%	84%
	Florida National University	Hialeah	Florida	71%	57%	82%
	Florida Southern College	Lakeland	Florida	57%	45%	80%
	Florida State University	Tallahassee	Florida	66%	93%	56%
	Fontbonne University	St. Louis	Missouri	51%	93%	79%
	Fordham University	New York City	New York	79%	48%	91%
	Fort Hays State University	Hays	Kansas	43%	86%	70%
	Fort Valley State University	Fort Valley	Georgia	58%	24%	76%
	Framingham State University	Framingham	Massachusetts	56%	71%	74%
	Franciscan University of Steubenville	Steubenville	Ohio	79%	79%	86%
	Franklin and Marshall College	Lancaster	Pennyslvania	87%	34%	92%
	Franklin College	Franklin	Indiana	56%	33%	94%
	Franklin Pierce University	Rindge	New Hampshire	45%	18%	83%
	Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering	Needham	Massachussetts	78%	10%	86%
	Freed-Hardeman University	Henderson	Tennessee	50%	93%	89%
	Fresno Pacific University	Fresno	California	52%	60%	92%
	Friends University	Wichita	Kansas	41%	58%	74%
	Frostburg State University	Frostburg	Maryland	51%	63%	76%
	Furman University	Greenville	South Carolina	74%	65%	78%
	Gannon University	Erie	Pennsylvania	52%	76%	84%
	Gardner-Webb University	Boiling Springs	North Carolina	46%	53%	73%
	Geneva College	Beaver Falls	Pennsylvania	58%	51%	75%
	George Fox University	Newberg	Oregon	57%	77%	81%
	George Mason University	Fairfax	Virginia	47%	69%	87%
	George Washington University	Washington	District of Columbia (DC)	74%	46%	94%
	Georgetown College	Georgetown	Kentucky	53%	68%	96%
	Georgetown University	Washington	District of Columbia (DC)	94%	17%	96%
	Georgia College and State University	Milledgeville	Georgia (DC)	48%	76%	86%
	Georgia Institute of Technology	Atlanta	Georgia (DC)	85%	23%	97%
	Georgia Southern University	Statesboro	Georgia	50%	60%	82%
	Gettysburg College	Gettysburg	Pennsylvania	79%	58%	84%
	Golden Gate University	San Francisco	California	47%	45%	86%
	Gonzaga University	Spokane	Washington	73%	73%	94%
	Gordon College	Wenham	Massachussetts	57%	93%	85%
	Goshen College	Goshen	Indiana	55%	95%	78%
	Goucher College	Baltimore	Maryland	63%	77%	82%
	Governors State University	University Park	Illinois	62%	94%	84%
	Grace Christian University	Grand Rapids	Michigan	60%	81%	56%
	Grace College and Theological Seminary	Winona Lake	Indiana	60%	77%	80%
	Graceland University	Lamoni	Iowa	52%	48%	62%
	Grand Valley State University	Allendale	Michigan	67%	81%	84%
	Grand View University	Des Moines	Iowa	69%	97%	88%
	Granite State College	Concord	New Hampshire	59%	100%	86%
	Greenville College	Greenville	Illinois	57%	56%	82%
	Greenville University	Greenville	Illinois	52%	54%	52%
	Grinnell College	Grinnell	Iowa	78%	28%	78%
	Grove City College	Grove City	Pennsylvania	75%	77%	75%
	Guilford College	Greensboro	North Carolina	51%	49%	84%
	Gustavus Adolphus College	St. Peter	Minnesota	76%	74%	88%
	Gwynedd Mercy University	Gwynedd Valley	Pennsylvania	46%	44%	92%
	Hamilton College	Clinton	New York	88%	26%	81%
	Hamline University	Saint Paul	Minnesota	55%	72%	79%
	Hampden-Sydney College	Hampden-Sydney	Virginia	61%	70%	77%
	Hampton University	Hampton	Virginia	42%	29%	90%
	Hanover College	Hanover	Indiana	69%	67%	88%
	Harding University	Searcy	Arkansas	46%	99%	85%
	Hartwick College	Oneonta	New York	53%	10%	96%
	Harvard University	Cambridge	Massachussets	87%	5%	98%
	Harvey Mudd College	Claremont	California	85%	13%	97%
	Hastings College	Hastings	Nebraska	47%	21%	95%
	Haverford College	Haverford	Pennyslvania	88%	25%	91%
	Heidelberg University	Tiffin	Ohio	43%	41%	93%
	Hendrix College	Conway	Arkansas	66%	62%	88%
	High Point University	High Point	North Carolina	59%	57%	84%
	Hillsdale College	Hillsdale	Missouri	79%	47%	86%
	Hiram College	Hiram	Ohio	51%	49%	85%
	Hobart and William Smith Colleges	Geneva	New York	72%	70%	89%
	Hobe Sound Bible College	Hobe Sound	Florida	56%	N/A	75%
	Hodges University	Naples	New York	54%	96%	79%
	Hofstra University	Hempstead	New York	52%	48%	77%
	Hollins University	Roanoke	Virginia	52%	50%	98%
	Holy Apostles College and Seminary	Cromwell	Connecticut	60%	N/A	100%
	Hood College	Frederick	Maryland	59%	70%	90%
	Hope College	Holland	Missouri	70%	72%	88%
	Hope International University	Fullerton	California	42%	31%	91%
	Houghton College	Houghton	New York	60%	94%	84%
	Howard University	Washington	District of Columbia	61%	49%	89%
	Huntington University	Huntington	Indiana	52%	97%	79%
	Illinois College	Jacksonville	Illinois	65%	51%	89%
	Illinois Institute of Technology	Chicago	Illinois	73%	53%	87%
	Illinois State University	Normal	Illinois	47%	88%	82%
	Illinois Wesleyan University	Bloomington	Illinois	75%	62%	93%
	Immaculata University	Immaculata	Pennsylvania	62%	79%	83%
	Indian River State College	Fort Pierce	Florida	79%	100%	91%
	Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis	Indianapolis	Indiana	77%	78%	89%
	Indiana University Bloomington	Bloomington	Indiana	64%	93%	86%
	Indiana University of Pennsylvania	Indiana	Pennsylvania	66%	95%	84%
	Indiana Wesleyan University	Marion	Indiana	55%	96%	82%
	Iona College	New Rochelle	New York	60%	85%	89%
	Iowa State University	Ames	Iowa	47%	87%	87%
	Ithaca College	Ithaca	New York	72%	67%	86%
	Jacksonville University	Jacksonville	Florida	41%	54%	68%
	Jackson State University	Jackson	Mississippi	63%	26%	85%
	James Madison University	Harrisonburg	Virginia	60%	72%	83%
	John Brown University	Siloam Springs	Arkansas	56%	74%	81%
	John Carroll University	University Heights	Ohio	69%	82%	84%
	John Paul the Great Catholic University	Escondido	California	59%	9%	87%
	Johns Hopkins University	Baltimore	Maryland	88%	13%	79%
	Johnson and Wales University	Providence	Rhode Island	54%	52%	76%
	Johnson University	Knoxville	Tennessee	50%	58%	74%		Judson University	Elgin	Illinois	49%	47%	88%		Juniata College	Huntingdon	Pennsylvania	74%	77%	86%		Juilliard School	New York City	New York	76%	6%	88%
	Kalamazoo College	Kalamazoo	Michigan	73%	92%	92%
	a href="https://www.k-state.edu/">Kansas State University	Manhattan	Kansas	87%	95%	96%
	Kenyon College	Gambier	Ohio	85%	25%	99%
	King's College	Wikes-Barre	Pennsylvania	57%	28%	90%
	Knox College	Galesburg	Illinois	68%	64%	87%
	La Roche College	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	64%	94%	92%
	La Salle University	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	61%	27%	74%
	Lafayette College	Easton	Pennsylvania	83%	30%	66%
	Lake Forest College	Lake Forest	Illinois	63%	33%	85%
	Lasell College	Newton	Massachusetts	57%	47%	80%
	Law rence University	Appleton	Wisconsin	66%	64%	95%
	Lebanon Valley College	Annville	Pennsylvania	69%	67%	97%
	Lehigh University	Bethlehem	Pennsylvania	72%	70%	95%
	Lemoyne College	Syracuse	New York	70%	18%	97%
	Lewis-Clark State College	Lewiston	Idaho	70%	97%	99%
	Lew is and Clark College	Portland	Oregon	68%	22%	91%
	Liberty College	Lynchburg	Virginia	72%	20%	93%
	Lincoln University	Lincoln University	Pennsylvania	76%	27%	87%
	Linfield College	McMinville	Oregon	62%	94%	85%
	Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania	Lock Haven	Pennsylvania	58%	93%	91%
	Loras College	Dubuque	Iowa	60%	95%	93%
	Loyola Marymount University	Los Angeles	California	76%	74%	78%
	Loyola University Chicago	Chicago	Illinois	67%	61%	93%
	Loyola University Maryland	Baltimore	Maryland	77%	90%	86%
	Lubbock Christian University	Lubbock	Texas	79%	94%	92%
	Luther College	Decorah	Iowa	72%	96%	86%
	Lyndon State College	Lyndonville	Vermont	74%	98%	96%
	Macalester College	St. Paul	Minnesota	85%	85%	95%
	Manhattan College	Riverdale	New York	58%	87%	93%
	Marist College	Poughkeepsie	New York	76%	89%	91%
	Marquette University	Milwaukee	Wisconsin	67%	91%	89%
	Martin Luther College	New Ulm	Minnesota	69%	96%	91%
	Marygrove College	Detroit	Michigan	62%	94%	93%
	Maryland Institute College of Art	Baltimore	Maryland	64%	37%	95%
	Maryville University of St. Louis	St. Louis	Missouri	57%	35%	97%
	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Cambridge	Massachusetts	85%	8%	99%
	McDaniel College	Westminster	Maryland	59%	10%	97%
	Mercyhurst University	Erie	Pennsylvania	63%	13%	93%
	Merrimack College	North Andover	Massachusetts	66%	17%	89%
	Messiah College	Mechanicsburg	Pennsylvania	74%	22%	84%
	Metropolitan State University	St. Paul	Minnesota	70%	100%	78%
	Miami University Oxford	Oxford	Ohio	68%	20%	76%
	Middlebury College	Middlebury	Vermont	83%	17%	91%
	Milligan College	Milligan	Tennessee	70%	19%	88%
	Mills College	Oakland	California	58%	24%	85%
	Millsaps College	Jackson	Mississippi	60%	30%	72%
	Misericordia University	Dallas	Pennsylvania	65%	37%	92%
	Mississippi University for Women	Columbus	Mississippi	55%	94%	96%
	Mississippi Valley State University	Itta Benna	Mississippi	52%	16%	90%
	Missouri Southern State University	Joplin	Missouri	49%	96%	92%
	Missouri Valley College	Marshall	Missouri	43%	22%	93%
	Missouri Western State University	St. Joseph	Missouri	68%	99%	97%
	Monroe College	Bronx	New York	65%	95%	86%
	Montana State University-Billings	Billings	Montana	60%	100%	84%
	Montana State University-Northern	Havre	Montana	62%	100%	86%
	Moravian College	Bethlehem	University	64%	78%	82%
	Mount Holyoke College	South Hadley	Massachusetts	77%	75%	80%
	Mount St. Mary's University	Emmitsburg	Maryland	58%	56%	60%
	Muhlenberg College	Alientown	Pennsylvania	77%	75%	80%
	Neumann University	Aston	Pennsylvania	52%	94%	92%
	New England College	Henniker	New Hampshire	48%	46%	86%
	New England College	Boston	Massachusetts	78%	74%	89%
	New York University	New York	New York	76%	72%	92%
	Niagara University	Niagara University	New York	63%	34%	95%
	Northeastern University	Boston	Massachusetts	50%	32%	98%
	Northern Kentucky University	Highland Heights	Kentucky	53%	93%	92%
	North Carolina State University	Raleigh	North Carolina	55%	37%	94%
	North Central College	Naperville	Illinois	57%	18%	91%
	Northwestern College	Orange City	Iowa	60%	12%	96%
	Northwestern University	Evanston	Illinois	84%	11%	98%
	Nyack College	Nyack	New York	55%	100%	99%
	Oberlin College	Oberlin	Ohio	75%	33%	96%
	Ohio State University	Columbus	Ohio	56%	33%	91%
	Ohio Wesleyan University	Delaware	Ohio	61%	59%	87%
	Occidental College	Los Angeles	California	81%	38%	85%
	Ouachita Baptist University	Arkadelphia	Arkansas	58%	41%	80%
	Pacific Lutheran University	Tacoma	Washington	58%	56%	87%
	Pacific University	Forest Grove	Oregon	57%	53%	90%
	Palm Beach Atlantic University	West Palm Beach	Florida	56%	95%	80%
	Penn State/ Pennsylvania State University	Old Main University Park	Pennsylvania	86%	50%	93%
	Penn State/ Pennsylvania State University	University Park	Pennsylvania	66%	48%	95%
	Pensacola State College	Pensacola	Florida	62%	46%	99%
	Pepperdine College	Malibu	California	73%	42%	86%
	Pitzer College	Claremont	California	77%	14%	83%
	Point Loma Nazarene University	San Diego	California	71%	30%	80%
	Pomona College	Claremont	California	89%	9%	78%
	Presbyterian College	Clinton	South Carolina	61%	27%	96%
	Princeton University	Princeton	New Jersey	87%	7%	98%
	Principia College	Elsah	Illinois	58%	32%	92%
	Providence College	Providence	Rhode Island	83%	35%	94%
	Quinnipiac University	Hamden	Connecticut	70%	73%	86%
	Quinnipiac University			Connecticut	70%	73%	86%
	Ramapo College of New Jersey[/hen-ui-link]	Mahwah	New Jersey	59%	81%	83%
	Randolph-Macon College	Ashland	Virginia	62%	83%	86%
	Regis University	Denver	Colorado	56%	96%	98%
	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	Troy	New York	62%	54%	93%
	Rhodes College	Memphis	Tennessee	82%	47%	91%
	Rhode Island School of Design	Providence	Rhode Island	70%	41%	95%
	Ringling College of Art and Design	Sarasota	Florida	63%	36%	84%
	Ripon College	Ripon	Wisconsin	61%	31%	71%
	Roanoke College	Salem	Virginia	68%	24%	81%
	Roberts Wesleyan College	Rochester	New York	60%	36%	82%
	Rockhurst University	Kansas City	Missouri	69%	30%	86%
	Roger Williams University	Bristol	Rhode Island	63%	25%	94%
	Rollins College	Winter Park	Florida	68%	21%	96%
	Rose Hulman Institute of Technology	Terre Haute	Indiana	67%	18%	92%
	Rice University	Houston	Texas	86%	15%	97%
	Rust College	Holy Springs	Mississippi	57%	18%	95%
	Rutgers University–New Brunswick	Piscataway	New Jersey	61%	20%	93%
	Sacred Heart University	Fairfield	Connecticut	63%	60%	84%
	Santa Clara University	Santa Clara	California	84%	50%	95%
	Saint Ambrose University	Davenport	Iowa	63%	96%	78%
	Saint Louis University	St. Louis	Missouri	71%	58%	90%
	Saint Vincent College	Latrobe	Pennsylvania	68%	68%	82%
	Salem College	Winston-Salem	North Carolina	59%	40%	75%
	Salve Regina University	Newport	Rhode Island	67%	76%	84%
	Samford University	Birmingham	Alabama	64%	82%	87%
	San Francisco Art Institute	San Franciso	California	56%	95%	51%
	Sarah Lawrence College	Bronxville	New York	63%	56%	82%
	School of Visual Arts	New York	New York	63%	70%	87%
	Scripps College	Claremont	California	81%	27%	91%
	Seattle University	Seattle	Washington	71%	76%	84%
	Seton Hall University	South Orange	New Jersey	60%	70%	85%
	Shepherd University	Shepherdstown	West Virginia	47%	98%	65%
	Siena College	Loudonville	New York	69%	80%	88%
	Simmons University	Boston	Massachusetts	76%	70%	82%
	Simpson College	Indianola	Indiana	64%	84%	80%
	Skidmore College	Saratoga Springs	New York	82%	27%	93%
	Smith College	Northampton	Massachusetts	83%	31%	93%
	Soka University of America	Aliso Viejo	California	86%	39%	94%
	Southern Methodist University	Dallas	Texas	68%	51%	74%
	Southern Oregon University	Ashland	Oregon	70%	93%	95%
	Southern Wesleyan University	Central	South Carolina	65%	94%	90%
	Southwestern University	Georgetown	Texas	67%	45%	77%
	Southwestern Adventist University	Keene	Texas	70%	32%	80%
	Spelman College	Atlanta	Georgia	68%	39%	94%
	Springfield College	Springfield	Massachusetts	68%	63%	96%
	Stanford University	Stanford	California	75%	4%	98%
	Stevens Institute of Technology	Hoboken	New Jersey	77%	5%	95%
	Stonehill College	Easton	Massachusetts	75%	70%	92%
	St. Anselm College	Manchester	New Hampshire	74%	77%	87%
	St. Bonaventure University	St. Bonaventure	New York	61%	73%	77%
	St. Francis University	Loretto	Pennsylvania	59%	75%	95%
	St. John's College	Annapolis	Maryland	70%	58%	75%
	St. John Fisher College	Rochester	New York	64%	65%	57%
	St. John's College	Santa Fe	New Mexico	66%	93%	97%
	St. John's University	Collegeville	Minnesota	71%	73%	88%
	St. Joseph's College	Brooklyn	New York	60%	70%	83%
	St. Joseph's University	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	73%	76%	94%
	St. Lawrence University	Canton	New York	76%	46%	88%
	St. Louis College of Pharmacy	St. Louis	Missouri	85%	71%	96%
	St. Mary's College	Notre Dame	Indiana	73%	77%	84%
	St. Mary's College- California	Moraga	California	65%	77%	76%
	St. Mary's College- Maryland	St. Mary's City	Maryland	72%	80%	83%
	St. Michael's College	Colchester	Vermont	72%	83%	85%
	St. Norbert College	De Pere	Wisconsin	66%	78%	77%
	St. Olaf College	Northfield	Minnesota	82%	50%	93%
	Swarthmore College	Swarthmore	Pennsylvania	87%	17%	98%
	Sul Ross State University	Alpine	Texas	67%	93%	95%
	SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry	Syracuse	New York	65%	99%	96%
	SUNY Geneseo	Geneseo	New York	72%	61%	98%
	SUNY New Paltz	Geneseo	New York	60%	41%	79%
	Susquehanna University	Selinsgrove	Pennsylvania	67%	72%	76%
	Syracuse University	Syracuse	New York	69%	50%	96%
	Taylor University	Upland	Indiana	75%	78%	90%
	Tennessee Technological University	Cookeville	Tennessee	54%	94%	79%
	Texas Christian University	Fort Worth	Texas	69%	41%	91%
	The Catholic University of America	Washington	District of Columbia	68%	84%	86%
	The Citadel	Charleston	South Carolina	63%	81%	75%
	The University of the South	Sewanee	Tennessee	78%	65%	88%
	Thomas Aquinas College	Santa Paul	California	71%	78%	92%
	Thomas More College	Crestview Hills	Kentucky	56%	93%	67%
	Transylvania University	Lexington	Kentucky	72%	89%	82%
	Trinity College	Hartford	Connecticut	78%	33%	88%
	Trinity International University	Deerfield	Illinois	53%	97%	67%
	Trinity University	San Antonio	Texas	65%	34%	89%
	Truett McConnell College	San Antonio	Georgia	57%	96%	68%
	Tufts University	Medford	Massachussetts	87%	17%	97%
	Tulane University	New Orleans	Louisiana	75%	28%	93%
	Union College	Schenectady	New York	84%	24%	86%
	Union University	Jackson	Tennessee	61%	21%	65%
	United States Air Force Academy	USAF Academy	Colorado	81%	17%	83%
	United States Coast Guard Academy	New London	Connecticut	81%	18%	86%
	United States Merchant Marine Academy	Kings Point	New York	56%	22%	58%
	United States Military Academy	West Point	New York	54%	10%	60%
	United States Naval Academy	Annapolis	Maryland	91%	12%	93%
	University of Akron	Akron	Ohio	52%	96%	55%
	University of Buffalo-SUNY	Buffalo	New York	60%	22%	65%
	University of California- Los Angeles (UCLA)	Los Angeles	California	77%	19%	82%
	University of California- Berkeley	Berkeley	California	75%	16%	97%
	University of California- Davis	Davis	California	61%	10%	65%
	University of California-Irvine	Irvine	California	68%	15%	73%
	University of California- Santa Barbara	Santa Barbara	California	70%	20%	93%
	University of California-San Diego	La Jolla	California	62%	17%	95%
	University of Central Arkansas	Conway	Arkansas	50%	94%	97%
	University of Chicago	Chicago	Illinois	89%	8%	99%
	University of Connecticut	Storrs	Connecticut	73%	21%	80%
	University of Dallas	Irving	Texas	61%	24%	75%
	University of Dayton	Dayton	Ohio	60%	32%	70%
	University of Delaware	Newark	Delaware	71%	35%	80%
	University of Denver	Denver	Colorado	67%	41%	75%
	University of Evansville	Evansville	Indiana	65%	31%	70%
	University of Florida	Gainesville	Florida	68%	17%	97%
	University of Georgia	Athens	Georgia	66%	18%	95%
	University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign	Champaign	Illinois	70%	19%	85%
	University of the Incarnate-Word	San Antonio	Texas	53%	93%	65%
	University of Maine-Augusta	Augusta	Maine	56%	97%	75%
	University of Mary Washington	Fredericksburg	Virginia	59%	19%	80%
	University of Maryland- College Park	College Park	Maryland	70%	16%	95%
	University of Massachusetts- Amherst	Amherst	Massachusetts	71%	14%	93%
	University of Miami	Coral Gables	Florida	70%	13%	99%
	University of Michigan	Ann Arbor	Michigan	79%	32%	97%
	University of Minnesota-Twin Cities	Minneapolis	Minnesota	65%	11%	93%
	University of Montana	Missoula	Montana	54%	94%	92%
	University of New England	Biddeford	Maine	59%	54%	95%
	University of New Hampshire	Durham	New Hampshire	69%	59%	95%
	University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill	Chapel Hill	North Carolina	82%	29%	97%
	University of Notre Dame	Notre Dame	Indiana	52%	22%	98%
	University of Pennsylvania	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	85%	9%	98%
	University of Pikeville	Pikeville	Kentucky	55%	100%	97%
	University of Pittsburgh	Pittsburgh	Pennsylvania	65%	16%	75%
	University of Portland	Portland	Oregon	75%	18%	79%
	University of Puget Sound	Tacoma	Washington	66%	21%	88%
	University of Richmond	University of Richmond	Virginia	83%	32%	86%
	University of Rochester	Rochester	New York	78%	25%	96%
	University of San Diego	San Diego	California	68%	30%	94%
	University of San Francisco	San Francisco	California	66%	29%	76%
	University of Scranton	Scranton	Pennsylvania	77%	26%	79%
	University of Sioux Falls	Sioux Falls	South Dakota	57%	97%	91%
	University of Southern California	Los Angeles	California	78%	81%	96%
	University of South Carolina	Columbias	South Carolina	62%	23%	94%
	University of St. Francis	Fort Wayne	Indiana	59%	97%	99%
	University of St. Thomas	St. Paul	Minnesota	64%	20%	92%
	University of Texas-Austin	Austin	Texas	61%	18%	95%
	University of Toledo	Toledo	Ohio	63%	95%	93%
	University of Vermont	Burlington	Vermont	65%	19%	95%
	University of Virginia	Charlottesville	Virginia	89%	29%	97%
	University of Washington	Seattle	Washington	67%	10%	94%
	University of Wisconsin	Madison	Wisconsin	62%	54%	95%
	University of Wyoming	Laramie	Wyoming	58%	98%	96%
	University of the District of Colombia	Washington	District of Columbia	56%	93%	95%
	University of the Sciences	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	72%	70%	82%
	Utah State University	Logan	Utah	53%	98%	96%
	Utah Valley University	Orem	Utah	50%	100%	99%
	Wabash College	Crawfordsville	Indiana	66%	64%	87%
	Wake Forest University	Winston-Salem	North Carolina	85%	56%	94%
	Walden University	Minneapolis	Minnesota	87%	98%	50%
	Wagner College	Staten Island	New York	63%	30%	76%
	Wartburg College	Waverly	Iowa	63%	28%	79%
	Warner University	Lake Wales	Florida	51%	26%	57%
	Washburn University	Topeka	Kansas	50%	98%	73%
	Washington College	Chestertown	Maryland	65%	16%	85%
	Washington and Jefferson College	Washington	Pennsylvania	70%	18%	87%
	Washington and Lee University	Lexington	Virginia	92%	20%	97%
	Washington University in St. Louis	St. Louis	Missouri	88%	17%	97%
	Wayland Baptist University	Plainview	Texas	49%	97%	42%
	Wayne State College	Wayne	Nebraska	47%	100%	81%
	Waynesburg University	Waynesburg	Pennsylvania	60%	35%	76%
	Webb Institute	Glen Clove	New York	73%	33%	93%
	Weber State College	Ogden	Utah	37%	100%	65%
	Wellesley College	Wellesley	Massachusetts	84%	31%	95%
	Wesleyan University	Middletown	Connecticut	85%	24%	95%
	Western Kentucky University	Bowling Green	Kentucky	48%	93%	73%
	Western State Colorado University	Gunnison	Colorado	46%	97%	68%
	Westminster College	SLC	Utah	44%	94%	78%
	Westmont College	Santa Barbara	California	71%	44%	83%
	Wheaton College- Illinois	Wheaton	Illinois	77%	39%	93%
	Wheaton College- Massachusetts	Norton	Massachusetts	74%	35%	88%
	Whitman College	Walla Walla	Washington	81%	32%	94%
	Whittier College	Whittier	California	60%	29%	78%
	Whitworth University	Spokane	Washington	68%	27%	85%
	Wichita State University	Wichita	Kansas	49%	96%	73%
	Wiley College	Wichita	Kansas	47%	94%	56%
	Williams College	Williamstown	Massachusetts	90%	19%	98%
	Willamette University	Salem	Oregon	67%	21%	86%
	Wilmington University	New Castle	Delaware	38%	100%	66%
	Wilson College	Chambersburg	Pennsylvania	36%	31%	70%
	Wofford College	Spartanburg	South Carolina	76%	35%	89%
	Worcester Polytechnic Institute	Worcester	Massachusetts	82%	39%	96%
	Wright State University	Dayton	Ohio	48%	97%	65%
	Xavier University	Cincinnati	Ohio	66%	74%	84%
	Yale University	New Haven	Connecticut	88%	6%	99%
	Yeshiva University	New York	New York	80%	10%	95%
University or College Logo	Name of University or College	City	State	Graduation Rate	Acceptance Rate	Retention Rate

The Retention Rate indicates the percentage of newcomers or first-year students that register for the next academic year in the school where they started. In short, it covers the number of students that decide to stay in the same school for another year in college.

Student retention involves two aspects: the stayer or retained student and the leaver or dropout.

• The stayer or retained student is on "normal progression," which happens when a student enters the same college until graduation. By standards, the student should be on full-time study and should complete as the program requires.

• On the other hand, the leaver or dropout indicates that a student enrolls in college, but leaves before graduation and never comes back.

In between these two types are the transfers, referring to students who start their college years in one school and transfer to another in the middle of the academic year. From the perspective of the student, moving to another school is regarded as current progress. The first academic institution would consider the student a dropout if the school administration was not properly informed of the transfer.

At present, the financial health of academic institutions is highly dependent on student retention.

The acceptance rate of a university or college is determined by obtaining the ratio between admitted students and the total number of applicants.

The Acceptance Rate is generally based on first-time college enrollees. A lower acceptance rate signifies that the academic institution is "selective" because they accept a few students. Because general acceptance rates significantly impact school ranking, universities and colleges with low acceptance rates usually rank higher.

A Graduation Rate points to the number of students who start and, for the first time, complete a four-year degree in the same college or university. It also indicates the student's ability to earn a diploma or complete the degree program within a specific time frame.

The official four-year graduation rate for students who are in public universities and colleges is 33.3%. The six-year graduation rate, on the other hand, is 57.6%. In private universities and colleges, the four-year graduation rate is 52.8%, and 65.4% usually obtain a degree in six years.

Students and parents must evaluate Graduation and Retention rates selecting potential schools to enroll. Beyond the statistics, these are indicators of how satisfied students are at school, how well-connected they are with their academic or personal endeavors, and how well-spent their tuition will be.

However, be aware that low Acceptance Rates do not tell you much about a college other than it usually accepts more applicants than its capacity. They do not signify the types of students who graduate from specific schools.

What needs a fresh, new perspective is a school's Graduation Rate, which talks about the total number of students who earn their degrees on time. Studies show that the old approaches do not cut it anymore; college graduation rates are now lower than usual.

Does the Graduation Rate give students a peek into the quality of education that the school offers? Research says there is truth to this perception because higher graduation rates signify that numerous students stayed in the same institution until completing the degree program, which they must have considered a worthy academic investment.

A stable Graduation Rate also highlights the hard work that students put into their courses, the faculty's dedication to shaping future industry professionals, and the firm support systems that both parties consistently received throughout the degree program.

Some schools with high graduation rates are characterized by low acceptance rates, owing to the strict student selection standards they maintain to solidify their reputation as higher educational institutions that produce high-quality graduates.

Retention Rates

A student who decides to transfer or drop out after their first year in college negatively affects the university's retention rate, albeit initially. Several factors influence the retention rate of a university or college:

• First-generation college students usually have lower retention rates because of the lack of financial support and similar challenges that had likely prevented any other members of their family from earning a degree.

• Students registered in more prestigious colleges and universities continue to remain in school at a higher percentage than those enrolled in smaller colleges.

• Notably, Asians and Whites appear to be remarkably represented in the high-ranking universities. Native Americans, Hispanics, and Blacks attend lower-tier colleges.

Although minority enrollment rates are increasing, graduation and retention rates are still comparably low.

Acceptance Rates

Most highly selective colleges and universities currently have acceptance rates in single digits! This means that less than 10% of students applying in an academic institution will eventually be provided with a slot.

In promoting a low acceptance rate, any educational institution must perform well instead of capturing top students' attention. To have a high acceptance rate, a university or college must accept more applicants beyond their capacity.

A reason for the rise in competitive college admissions is that lately, students may be sending more applications than they did in the previous years.

Though the factors influencing acceptance rates cannot be predicted when preparing for college admissions, SAT and GPA scores can also be defining factors.

Graduation Rates

Studies indicate that college students' graduation rates are associated with the economic landscape, which varies over time. Though the number of students enrolling in lower-income families has improved lately, there is still a widening gap between incoming college students belonging to the haves and the have-nots. Therefore, college graduation rates—which show the number of students that complete their degree program—are yet to demonstrate a significant improvement.

Statistics show that globally, the United States ranks 19th in college graduation rates.