College · Family Resources

See who comes back
for year two

The first year is when most students who leave college do it. Enter each college's retention rate, rate the programs, community and aid rules that keep students there, and see where a strong start is most likely to stick.

Start a comparisonWhat you get

Comparisons

The worked example is made up: three colleges with retention rates of 92, 79 and 74 percent, for a student who counts retention and renewable aid as must-haves. Use initials or a code.

Loading the comparison form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

College · Family ResourcesFree

What you finish with
A saved comparison per decision: how much the retention rate, first-year programs, belonging, aid that renews and year-two cost matter; each college rated 1 to 5 with its retention rate and the GPA needed to keep merit aid; seven questions such as scholarship renewal and satisfactory academic progress marked answered or still to ask; and a next step. The flags rank the colleges, turn each rate into students per 100 who return and who do not, call out scholarships that need a 3.0 GPA or higher and flag a must-have rated 2 or lower. A side-by-side table prints.
Who it is for
High school students and families comparing colleges and offers, especially when a scholarship has renewal rules.
Format
Browser tool with a saved record per decision. Prints a side-by-side table with the scores, the full record, every comparison in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Family Resources space in Caveat College.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Look up each retention rate.
  2. Read every scholarship's renewal rules.
  3. Weigh retention and aid that lasts.
  4. Rate each college.
  5. Print the side-by-side table.

Start a comparison

Why students leave after one year

Three common reasons, three questionsMoneyAid lost or a costjump in year twoAsk: renewal rulesBelongingNo friends, no group,no placeAsk: first-yearprogramsGradesA rough first termwith no early helpAsk: early alertsThree common reasons, three questionsMoneyAid lost or a cost jump in year twoAsk: renewal rulesBelongingNo friends, no group, no placeAsk: first-year programsGradesA rough first term with no early helpAsk: early alerts
Reasons differ by student and college; ask each college what its own students say.

What the rate counts

The federal retention rate is the share of first-time, full-time students who return to the same college the next fall. Students who transfer elsewhere count as not retained, even if they finish a degree later. A low rate is a reason to ask questions, not a verdict.

Aid has rules

Federal aid requires satisfactory academic progress: a minimum GPA and a pace of credits completed, set by each college within federal rules. Merit scholarships often add their own GPA and credit rules. A student who drops below them can lose aid after one year, which is a common reason students do not return.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. College Navigator: retention and graduation rates (nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator).
  2. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. IPEDS Fall Enrollment component: retention rates (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
  3. U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid. Staying eligible: satisfactory academic progress (studentaid.gov).
  4. National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Persistence and Retention report (nscresearchcenter.org).

The worked example, its colleges and its rates are made up. A retention rate describes past students, not a promise about any one student. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.