When it comes to choosing a college, one of the key signs of student satisfaction and school quality is their freshman retention rate. This statistic is the percentage of students who return to a college for their sophomore year. In Pennsylvania, a state home to many diverse schools, some colleges stand out for their impressive ability to keep students engaged and committed. While the freshman retention rate is of importance, it’s often overlooked in the decision of where students will pursue their education. It seems only fair to the top performers in this statistic to take a deep dive into the best of the best and explore what sets them apart and contributes to their success.

5. Haverford College (96.1%)

Kicking off the list is Haverford College, a school most known for its elite liberal arts program and being founded by the Religious Society of Friends. Haverford offers degrees in thirty-one different majors, including social studies, natural sciences, and many others. The variety of options most definitely contributes to their impressive freshman retention rate, as the school boasts a 96.1% rate, one of the highest in the state. In addition, all of the college’s approximately 1,400 students are also undergraduates, with nearly all residing on the campus. This blend of students’ social and academic lives enables the school to stand out from others in the Pennsylvania area.

4. Swarthmore College (96.4%)

Not far ahead of Haverford is Swarthmore College, which has an impressive freshman retention rate of 96.4%. Known for being one of the earliest established coeduction colleges in the United States, the school is exclusively an undergraduate four-year institution. Similar to Haverford, Swarthmore was also founded by the Religious Society of Friends and is now a member of the Tri-Colllege Consortium. The school also has a partnership with the University of Pennsylvania and Bryn Mawr College through the Quaker Consortium, which allows students to cross-register for classes across all three institutions. With the opportunities provided, it’s no surprise that Swarthmore ranks highly on the list.

3. Villanova University (96.9%)

When discussing schools that offer a plethora of opportunities for their students, it’s hard to ignore the oldest catholic university in Pennsylvania. Villanova University is a private research school founded by the Order of Saint Augustine and named after Saint Thomas of Villanova. Their dedication to the previously mentioned research program has made the school known worldwide, as in recent years, the school has spent millions of dollars. This reflects in their freshman retention rate as the university ranks third on this list at 96.9%. An impressive statistic that demonstrates the school’s ability to maintain students heading into their sophomore year.

2. Carnegie Mellon University (97.2%)

Slightly higher on the list is Carnegie Mellon University, which ranks among not only some of the top universities in Pennsylvania, but in the country. This is no surprise when viewing the school’s freshmen retention rate, as they rank second in the state at 97.2%. One of the things beneficial to this rate is that the university consists of seven distinct colleges. The list includes schools such as the College of Engineering, the School of Computer Science, the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Tepper School of Business, and many more that all fall under the Carnegie Mellon banner. These offerings and many more extracurricular programs have assisted Carnegie Mellon in standing out above most in the United States.

1. University of Pennsylvania (98.1%)

While all the colleges and universities mentioned previously are formidable schools, it’s hard for any to compete with the University of Pennsylvania, or commonly known as “Penn,” with a freshman retention rate of 98.1%. This becomes even more apparent when finding out about the school’s founder and inventor of the lightning rod, Benjamin Franklin. Penn can even claim fame for its first-ever professor, James Wilson, who assisted in writing the United States Constitution. In recent years, Penn has further elevated its prestige, becoming the sixth-wealthiest private academic institution in the nation. Given its impressive list of alumni, it’s no surprise that Penn ranks at the top in the state of Pennsylvania.