The U.S. News Short List, separate from our overall rankings, is a regular series that magnifies individual data points in hopes of providing students and parents a way to find which undergraduate or graduate programs excel or have room to grow in specific areas. Be sure to explore The Short List: College and The Short List: Grad School to find data that matter to you in your college or grad school search.
Many people assume that the more selective a college is, the more likely it is to boast high graduation rates.
But that’s not quite the case, according to an August study published by the American Educational Research Journal. The authors found that it was actually tuition — not selectivity — that had an influence on a student’s chances of graduating. Every time tuition went up $1,000, students’ graduation chances increased by a fraction of a percent, the authors found.
Still, colleges with very high graduation rates are certainly challenging to get into. The 10 colleges with the highest four-year graduation rates had an average acceptance rate of 19.6 percent for fall 2013, according to data submitted to U.S. News by ranked schools in an annual survey.
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Pomona College, the school with the highest four-year graduation rate — at 92.8 percent — accepted only 13.9 percent of applicants in fall 2013. And as the study authors might predict, the California school isn’t cheap. Annual tuition and fees for 2014-2015 are $45,832.
Haverford College, which has a four-year graduation rate of 91.1 percent, accepted 23.5 percent of applicants in fall 2013. Tuition there is $47,214.
The 10 schools with the highest graduation rates were significantly more likely to graduate students in four years than most of their counterparts. Among the 1,209 ranked schools that reported the data to U.S News, the average four-year graduation rate was 41 percent. Among the 10 schools with the highest four-year graduation rates, the average rate was 90.1 percent.
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Below are the 10 colleges and universities with the highest four-year graduation rates, based on first-time, full-time students who started in fall 2007. Unranked schools, which did not meet certain criteria required by U.S. News to be numerically ranked, were not considered for this report.
| School name (state) | 4-year graduation rate | U.S. News rank and category |
|---|---|---|
| Pomona College (CA) | 92.8% | 5 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| Haverford College (PA) | 91.1% | 8 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| Davidson College (NC) | 89.9% | 11 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| University of Notre Dame (IN) | 89.8% | 16 (tie), National Universities |
| Vassar College (NY) | 89.7% | 11 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| Amherst College (MA) | 89.6% | 2, National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| Carleton College (MN) | 89.6% | 8 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| Williams College (MA) | 89.6% | 1, National Liberal Arts Colleges |
| Yale University (CT) | 89.6% | 3, National Universities |
| Hamilton College (NY) | 89.5% | 15 (tie), National Liberal Arts Colleges |
Don’t see your school in the top 10? Access the U.S. News College Compass to find graduation rates, complete rankings and much more. School officials can access historical data and rankings, including of peer institutions, via U.S. News Academic Insights.
U.S. News surveyed nearly 1,800 colleges and universities for our 2014 survey of undergraduate programs. Schools self-reported myriad data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News’ data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind. While U.S. News uses much of this survey data to rank schools for our annual Best Colleges rankings, the data can also be useful when examined on a smaller scale. U.S. News will now produce lists of data, separate from the overall rankings, meant to provide students and parents a means to find which schools excel, or have room to grow, in specific areas that are important to them. While the data come from the schools themselves, these lists are not related to, and have no influence over, U.S. News’ rankings of Best Colleges or Best Graduate Schools . The graduation rate data above are correct as of Oct. 14, 2014.
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10 Colleges With the Highest 4-Year Graduation Rates originally appeared on usnews.com
