First-year retention rates measure the percentage of first-year students who come back to campus for a second year. This is an indicator of how happy students are generally with their decision to attend that institution as less students decide to drop out or transfer to another school.
| Rank | Institution | First Year Retention Rate | Acceptance Rate | SAT Score | Your Est. Net Price Avg. Net Price | Median Starting Salary | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hillsdale College | 97 | 20.72 | 1,350 – 1,480 | 23993 | 63721 |
Hillsdale College
|
| 2 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | 97 | 15.64 | 1,370 – 1,530 | 17574 | 73762 |
#2
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
|
| 3 | Kettering University | 94 | 78.67 | 1,180 – 1,340 | 35609 | 80275 |
#3
Kettering University
|
| 4 | Michigan State University | 90 | 84.8 | 1,190 – 1,370 | 23657 | 55084 |
#4
Michigan State University
|
| 5 | Michigan Technological University | 89 | 92.43 | 1,150 – 1,370 | 16879 | 69672 |
Michigan Technological University
|
| 6 | Hope College | 88 | 79.24 | 1,130 – 1,360 | 30700 | 49727 |
Hope College
|
| 7 | Calvin University | 87 | 70.91 | 1,110 – 1,340 | 25231 | 48039 |
Calvin University
|
| 8 | Alma College | 85 | 57.03 | 1,040 – 1,230 | 22094 | 45720 |
Alma College
|
| 9 | Kalamazoo College | 85 | 75.32 | 1,140 – 1,370 | 26956 | 46137 |
#9
Kalamazoo College
|
| 10 | Northwestern Michigan College | 84 | 0 | -- | 7427 | 34918 | |
| 11 | Andrews University | 83 | 81.85 | 1,020 – 1,270 | 24728 | 43254 |
Andrews University
|
| 12 | University of Detroit Mercy | 83 | 75.42 | 1,040 – 1,270 | 16790 | 64534 |
#12
University of Detroit Mercy
|
| 13 | Wayne State University | 83 | 81.16 | 1,070 – 1,280 | 14416 | 45207 |
#13
Wayne State University
|
| 14 | College for Creative Studies | 82 | 91.94 | 990 – 1,210 | 36055 | 33691 |
College for Creative Studies
|
| 15 | Davenport University | 82 | 97.84 | -- | 18538 | 47041 |
Davenport University
|
| 16 | University of Michigan-Dearborn | 82 | 55.61 | 1,000 – 1,260 | 11521 | 50389 |
University of Michigan-Dearborn
|
| 17 | Western Michigan University | 81 | 84.6 | 1,000 – 1,230 | 17331 | 45356 |
Western Michigan University
|
| 18 | Lake Superior State University | 79 | 68.01 | 1,010 – 1,230 | 12339 | 42767 |
Lake Superior State University
|
| 19 | Northwood University | 79 | 64.51 | 950 – 1,160 | 25549 | 54058 |
Northwood University
|
| 20 | Aquinas College | 78 | 89.88 | 920 – 1,150 | 18018 | 40161 |
Aquinas College
|
| 21 | Cornerstone University | 78 | 77.77 | 1,000 – 1,220 | 21335 | 42598 |
Cornerstone University
|
| 22 | Ferris State University | 78 | 91.39 | 900 – 1,130 | 10825 | 47339 |
Ferris State University
|
| 23 | Lawrence Technological University | 78 | 55.9 | 1,040 – 1,280 | 34083 | 58827 |
Lawrence Technological University
|
| 24 | Northern Michigan University | 78 | 84.02 | 990 – 1,210 | 15707 | 37996 |
Northern Michigan University
|
| 25 | Oakland University | 78 | 87.84 | 1,030 – 1,230 | 12208 | 49017 |
Oakland University
|
| 26 | Saginaw Valley State University | 78 | 72.07 | 930 – 1,180 | 11546 | 43530 |
Saginaw Valley State University
|
| 27 | University of Michigan-Flint | 78 | 70.46 | 980 – 1,240 | 7852 | 45453 |
University of Michigan-Flint
|
| 28 | Spring Arbor University | 77 | 51.52 | 1,010 – 1,240 | 21067 | 45592 |
Spring Arbor University
|
| 29 | Grand Valley State University | 76 | 83.02 | 960 – 1,210 | 17198 | 47840 |
Grand Valley State University
|
| 30 | Arizona College of Nursing-Southfield | 75 | 100 | -- | 35849 | 32840 |
#30
Arizona College of Nursing-Southfield
|
| 31 | Central Michigan University | 75 | 89.82 | 980 – 1,210 | 17575 | 46567 |
Central Michigan University
|
| 32 | Madonna University | 72 | 63.39 | 880 – 1,080 | 18373 | 49871 |
Madonna University
|
| 33 | Albion College | 71 | 80.7 | 950 – 1,180 | 16719 | 48203 |
#33
Albion College
|
| 34 | Siena Heights University | 70 | 68.9 | 850 – 1,110 | 17520 | 49913 |
Siena Heights University
|
| 35 | Eastern Michigan University | 69 | 79.64 | 930 – 1,180 | 15742 | 43148 |
#35
Eastern Michigan University
|
| 36 | Baker College | 66 | 81.87 | 960 – 1,160 | 13616 | 33619 |
Baker College
|
| 37 | Cleary University | 66 | 67.54 | 950 – 1,170 | 23705 | 55077 |
Cleary University
|
| 38 | Adrian College | 65 | 72.53 | 920 – 1,170 | 25922 | 42805 |
Adrian College
|
| 39 | Grace Christian University | 65 | 99.16 | 970 – 1,180 | 13275 | 31450 |
Grace Christian University
|
| 40 | The University of Olivet | 61 | 83.25 | 920 – 1,130 | 19362 | 42637 |
The University of Olivet
|
| 41 | Rochester Christian University | 60 | 97.65 | 860 – 1,080 | 21611 | 40813 |
Rochester Christian University
|
| 42 | Kuyper College | 59 | 69.1 | 940 – 1,170 | 17669 | 33956 |
#42
Kuyper College
|
| 43 | Great Lakes Christian College | 49 | 0 | -- | 16406 | 28240 | |
| 44 | Concordia University Ann Arbor | 45 | 69.25 | 1,010 – 1,340 | 31080 | 49761 |
Concordia University Ann Arbor
|
School data is from 2023–2024 (top 500 results shown) for schools with at least 100 undergraduate students.
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