High retention at low cost
First-to-second-year retention (full-time students, IPEDS Fall 2023) alongside the average net price for families earning $0–30,000 (2022-23). 1,137 traditional four-year colleges with at least 50 aided freshmen.
Retention 85% or higher, lowest low-income net price
| College | Retention | Net price, $0–30k | Aid drop |
|---|
| Washington and Lee University VA | 95% | $76 | $7,617 |
| CUNY Bernard M Baruch College NY | 88% | $745 | $1,631 |
| University of Pennsylvania PA | 98% | $1,026 | $11,665 |
| Northwestern University IL | 97% | $1,243 | $8,368 |
| Johns Hopkins University MD | 98% | $1,473 | $5,666 |
| California Institute of Technology CA | 98% | $1,667 | $10,015 |
| Amherst College MA | 97% | $1,888 | $2,438 |
| Kehilath Yakov Rabbinical Seminary NY | 98% | $2,334 | $1,803 |
| University of Florida FL | 97% | $2,387 | $1,241 |
| Princeton University NJ | 97% | $2,518 | +$2,686 (grows) |
| California State University-Fullerton CA | 85% | $2,675 | $790 |
| Harvard University MA | 99% | $2,895 | $11,456 |
| Dartmouth College NH | 98% | $2,978 | $9,003 |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill NC | 97% | $3,165 | $179 |
| Rice University TX | 98% | $3,221 | $4,300 |
| Bowdoin College ME | 98% | $3,275 | $2,801 |
| Duke University NC | 96% | $3,295 | $8,005 |
| Bryn Mawr College PA | 90% | $3,323 | +$2,794 (grows) |
| Colgate University NY | 93% | $3,341 | $1,810 |
| Haverford College PA | 94% | $3,600 | $1,580 |
| University of Maryland-College Park MD | 96% | $3,603 | +$202 (grows) |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign IL | 94% | $3,883 | $1,154 |
| Berea College KY | 88% | $4,070 | $2,942 |
| Cornell University NY | 98% | $4,079 | $356 |
| Bates College ME | 94% | $4,263 | $2,341 |
| Be'er Yaakov Talmudic Seminary NY | 97% | $4,324 | +$2,774 (grows) |
| Washington University in St Louis MO | 96% | $4,391 | $10,460 |
| Wesleyan University CT | 95% | $4,432 | $4,746 |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison WI | 95% | $4,458 | +$3,873 (grows) |
| Uta Mesivta of Kiryas Joel NY | 96% | $4,542 | $858 |
Retention by low-income net price
| Net price, $0–30k | Colleges | Median retention |
|---|
| Under $10,000 | 247 | 80% |
| $10,000–14,999 | 333 | 78% |
| $15,000–19,999 | 298 | 76% |
| $20,000 or more | 259 | 80% |
A pattern, not a cause; retention reflects many things, including selectivity and student income. Aid drop is the gap between average freshman and continuing-student grants. Sources: IPEDS Fall Enrollment 2023 (RET_PCF), Student Financial Aid 2022-23.
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