One of the historically black schools where the fewest students returned after their first year was Arkansas Baptist College. The Regional College’s freshman retention rate was on average 42.5 percent between fall 2008 and 2011. Among all 68 schools, the average rate is 63.5 percent.
Below is a list of the 10 historically black colleges and universities that had the highest average freshman retention rates for first-year students starting in fall 2008 through 2011. Schools that were designated by U.S. News as Unranked were not considered for this report. U.S. News did not calculate a numerical ranking for Unranked programs because the program did not meet certain criteria that U.S. News requires to be numerically ranked.
| School name (state) | Average freshman retention rate (2008-2011) | U.S. News Historically Black Colleges and Universities ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Spelman College (GA) | 0.88 | 1 |
| Morehouse College (GA) | 0.825 | 2 |
| Howard University (DC) | 0.823 | 3 |
| Florida A&M University | 0.795 | 9 |
| Winston-Salem State University (NC) | 0.783 | 17 |
| Elizabeth City State University (NC) | 0.765 | 18 |
| Southern University and A&M College (LA) | 0.757 | RNP* |
| Tougaloo College (MS) | 0.748 | 14 |
| Jackson State University (MS) | 0.745 | 25 |
| North Carolina A&T State University | 0.745 | 8 |
*RNP denotes an institution that is ranked in the bottom one-fourth of its ranking category. U.S. News calculates a rank for the school but has decided not to publish it.
