The following list is courtesy of Dodge Johnson, president of IECA and seasoned consultant. He bases the listing on retention rates from rates from the freshman to the sophomore year. As Dodge notes: "These lists aren't perfect. Not all colleges report the data. Some kids may be mortally unhappy but stick with their colleges anyway — most people who would kill to get into Harvard would rather die than leave.
And of course I make mistakes - more than I care to admit. But as the sign in a Dodge City bar used to say, 'Don't shoot the piano player, he's doing the best he can.'"
I say that the piano player is doing very well indeed, and without further ado, here are the 2010 results:
SUMMA CUM GAUDIA
Colleges with a 96%+ Freshman Retention Rate
Berkeley,
Bowdoin College
Brown University
California Institute Of Technology
Carleton College
Chicago, University of
Columbia University
Cornell University
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
Duke University
Emory University
Hamilton College
Harvard University
Holy Cross, College of the
Johns Hopkins University, The
Los Angeles, UC at
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology
Michigan, University of
Middlebury College
North Carolina, University of
Northwestern University
Olin College of Engineering
Pennsylvania, University of
Pomona College
Princeton University
Rice University
Rochester, University of
Southern California, University of
Stanford University
Swarthmore College
Tufts University
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Virginia, University of
Washington University
William And Mary, College of
Williams College
Yale University
MAGNA CUM GUADIA
Colleges with a 92-95% Freshman Retention Rate
Amherst College
Barnard College
Bates College
Bentley University
Boston College
Brandeis University
Bryn Mawr College
Bucknell University
Carnegie-Mellon University
Claremont McKenna College
Colby College
Colgate University
Colorado College
Cooper Union
Georgetown University
Georgia Institute Of Technology
Georgia, University of
Grinnell College
Grove City College
Haverford College
Illinois Wesleyan University
Illinois, University of
Irvine, UC at
Lafayette College
Lehigh University
Macalester College
Maryland, University of
McGill University
New Jersey, College of
Notre Dame, University of
Oberlin College
Ohio State University
Penn State
Pittsburgh, Universityof
Rhode Island School Of Design
San Diego, UC at
Skidmore College
Texas, University of
Villanova University
Wake Forest University
Washington And Lee University
Washington, University of
Wellesley College
Wesleyan University
Whitman College
Wisconsin, University of
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
CUM GUADIA
Colleges admitting 50+% with freshman retention rates in the 90's
Art Center College of Design
Beloit College
Bennington College
Boston University
British Columbia, University of
Butler University
Case Western Reserve
Centre College
Clemson University
Colorado School Of Mines
Connecticut, University of
Florida State University
Fordham University
Furman University
Georgia, University of
Grove City College
Gustavus Adolphus College
Illinois, University of
James Madison University
John Carroll University
Knox College
Lawrence University
McGill University
Michigan State University
Mt. Holyoke College
North Carolina State University
Ohio State University
Penn State
Providence College
Rutgers University
Santa Clara University
Sewanee
St. Mary's College
St. Olaf College
Stevens Institute Of Technology
Syracuse University
Washington, University of
Wisconsin, University of
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
