National Collegiate Retention and Persistence to Degree Rates - Table Summary

Oct 9, 2026

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National Collegiate Retention and Persistence to Degree Rates presents ACT’s national benchmarks on student persistence and first-to-second-year retention, compiled from ACT Institutional Data Questionnaire submissions from two-year and four-year postsecondary institutions. Tables summarize retention and persistence by institutional type, degree level/control, and admission selectivity categories. Definitions and reporting format changed beginning with the 2004 IDQ, including a shift to online collection and a revised naming from “freshman to sophomore dropout rates” to “first to second-year retention rates.”

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

First to Second Year Retention Rates

Table 1: National summary by institutional type

Table 2: Two-year colleges by admission selectivity

Table 3: Four-year public colleges by admission selectivity

Persistence to Degree Rates

Table 5: National summary by institutional type

Table 6: Two-year colleges by admission selectivity

Table 7: Four-year public colleges by admission selectivity

Important Information About These Tables

Changes beginning with the 2004 ACT Institutional Data Questionnaire

Data coverage and submission-rate context

National Collegiate Retention and Persistence to Degree Rates Since 1983, ACT has collected a comprehensive database of first to second year retention rates and persistence to degree rates. These dropout and graduation rates provide national benchmarks for institution type and level of selectivity. Data are compiled by ACT from the ACT Institutional Data Questionnaire, an annual survey of information collected from two-year and four-year postsecondary institutions. First to Second Year Retention Rates Table 1: Summary Table: National First to Second Year Retention Rates by Institutional Type Table 2: First to Second Year Retention Rates for Two-Year Colleges by Admission Selectivity Table 3: First to Second Year Retention Rates for Four-Year Public Colleges by Admission Selectivity Table 4: First to Second Year Retention Rates for Four-Year Private Colleges by Admission Selectivity Persistence to Degree Rates Table 5: Summary Table: National Persistence to Degree Rates by Institutional Type Table 6: Persistence to Degree Rates for Two-Year Colleges by Admission Selectivity Table 7: Persistence to Degree Rates for Four-Year Public Colleges by Admission Selectivity Table 8: Persistence to Degree Rates for Four-Year Private Colleges by Admission Selectivity For more information, contact ACT Educational Services at 319/341-2275 or go to our [website: www.act.org](website: www.act.org) © 2005 by ACT, Inc. All rights reserved. 7007 Important Information About These Tables Beginning with the 2004 ACT Institutional Data Questionnaire (IDQ), several changes took place in the format, collection, and reporting of these data. 1. The definitions of two important data elements were modified: institutional selectivity and level of degree offerings. 2. The IDQ information was collected online rather than in traditional paper format. 3. Previous tables published by ACT featured “freshman to sophomore dropout rates.”Those rates are now reported as “first to second-year retention rates.” Individuals who compare these results with previous reports or monitor trends in these data should keep this change in mind. 4. These reports are based on data accumulated through 7/1/05 . These changes resulted in a lower-than-usual return rate. Whereas earlier tables included information from 2,500+ institutions, these results are based on just less than 1,800 institutions. Despite this lower submission rate (which will improve in future reports), the data reported here are remarkably similar to results of previous years. Many of the tables are reported by institutional admission selectivity. The selectivity categories used are based on the general descriptions below. | Selectivity Level | ACT
Middle
50% | SAT
Middle
50% | Definition | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Highly Selective | 27-31 | 1220-1380 | Majority admitted from top 10% of H.S. class | | Selective | 22-27 | 1030-1220 | Majority admitted from top 25% of H.S. class | | Traditional | 20-23 | 950-1070 | Majority admitted from top 50% of H.S. class | | Liberal | 18-21 | 870-990 | Majority admitted from bottom 50% of H.S. class | | Open | 17-20 | 830-950 | Generally open to all with H.S. diploma or equivalent | Table 1 Summary Table: National First to Second Year Retention Rates by Institutional Type | Degree Level/Control | N | SD* | Mean % | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Two-year Public | 447 | 16.4 | 51.6 | | Two-year Private | 52 | 29.3 | 61.7 | | BA/BS Public | 66 | 16.2 | 66.4 | | BA/BS Private | 296 | 16.5 | 70.9 | | MA/1st Professional Public | 192 | 11.5 | 70.1 | | MA/1st Professional Private | 372 | 11.7 | 75.8 | | PhD Public | 186 | 12.4 | 77.5 | | PhD Private | 165 | 10.8 | 82.1 | | Total | 1,776 | N/A | 68.3 | * Standard Deviation Source: ACT Institutional Data File, 2005 Table 2 First to Second Year Retention Rates for Two-Year Colleges by Admission Selectivity | | Two-Year Private | | | Two-Year Public | | | All Institut

FAQs

What data source does ACT use for these retention and persistence tables?

ACT compiles the results from data collected via the ACT Institutional Data Questionnaire, an annual survey submitted by two-year and four-year postsecondary institutions.

How are “first to second-year retention rates” different from earlier “freshman to sophomore dropout rates”?

Beginning with later reporting that follows changes in the IDQ, prior “freshman to sophomore dropout rates” are now reported as “first to second-year retention rates,” and users comparing trend data should account for this naming change.

What institutional factors are used to organize the tables?

Tables are organized by institutional type and degree level/control, and many are further broken down by admission selectivity categories (based on ACT and SAT score ranges).

Why might the return rates be lower than usual in this report?

The report notes that several changes occurred starting with the 2004 IDQ, and that these changes resulted in a lower-than-usual return rate and fewer submitting institutions for the 2005 tables.

Oct 9, 2026

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