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District of Columbia Colleges' Retention Rate

What is the Average Retention Rate in District of Columbia?

The retention rate is the percentage of first-time students who attend and continue their study in next year at colleges. The low retention rate means that more students transfer out to or stop/pause the program at a school. In general, high ranked colleges or special purpose colleges' retention rate is higher than others.
The average retention rate of District of Columbia colleges is 76.81% for full-time students and 62.09% for part-time students. 8,803 out of 9,832 full-time first-year students continued their study in next year at District of Columbia colleges. In public District of Columbia colleges, the retention rate is 68% and private schools' rate is 82% By school levels, the retention rate at four-years colleges is 81% and community colleges' rate is 59% in District of Columbia.
The next schools are the top 5 District of Columbia colleges that have the highest retention rate. Georgetown University has the highest retention rate of 97% among District of Columbia colleges. George Washington University and Howard University also have higher rate of 92% and 91% respectively. For the ranking, we exclude community colleges and four-colleges with less than 1,000 first-time students.
The following table summarizes the average retention rate in District of Columbia by school type and level.
The Average Retention Rate In District Of Columbia
TotalPublicPrivate (not-for-profit)Private (for-profit)
Total76.81%68.00%82.38%71.71%
4 Years Colleges80.58%68.00%82.38%80.00%
Community Colleges59.00%--59.00%
Trade Schools72.00%--72.00%
The following table summarizes the retention rate and number of students by attending status for District of Columbia collegesNumbers in parentheses in each column indicate the number of students in the corresponding category.
Retention Rate by Attending Status at District of Columbia colleges
Retention RateFirst-time StudentsEnrolled in Next Year
Full-time76.81%9,8328,803
Part-time62.09%723319
The following table shows the District of Columbia Colleges. You can see more schools and narrow down the results in search result page.
AllPublicPrivate4-Years CollegeCommunity CollegesTrade Schools
District of Columbia Colleges
School NameLocationTuition & FeesEnrollmentAcceptance RateGraduation Rate
American University
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Washington, DC $58,771 12,321 61.96% 75%
The Catholic University of America
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Washington, DC $58,378 5,243 82.78% 79%
University of the District of Columbia
Public, four-years
Washington, DC $12,514 ($5,662) 4,202 - 33%
Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Washington, DC - 74 - -
Gallaudet University
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Washington, DC $19,654 1,335 58.06% 47%
George Washington University
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Washington, DC $67,710 25,374 47.09% 84%
Georgetown University
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Washington, DC $68,089 20,031 12.91% 95%
Howard University
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Washington, DC $35,810 14,890 41.34% 70%
Strayer University-District of Columbia
Private (for-profit), four-years
Washington, DC $13,920 188 - 18%
National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts
Private (not-for-profit), 2-4 years
Washington, DC $11,600 16 100.00% 33%
Trinity Washington University
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Washington, DC $26,610 1,948 99.52% 49%
Wesley Theological Seminary
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Washington, DC $21,465 374 - -
University of the Potomac-Washington DC Campus
Private (for-profit), four-years
Washington, DC $6,660 1,241 - 33%
Career Technical Institute
Private (for-profit), 2-4 years
Washington, DC $19,035 232 - 69%
Bennett Career Institute
Private (for-profit), less than 2-years
Washington, DC $19,050 176 - 51%
Institute of World Politics
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Washington, DC - 173 - -
Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Washington, DC $19,600 65 - -
The Chicago School at Washington DC
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Washington, DC $33,816 564 - -
Strayer University-Global Region
Private (for-profit), four-years
Washington, DC $13,920 12,098 - 14%
Saint Michael College of Allied Health
Private (for-profit), 2-4 years
Washington, DC $19,405 136 75.25% 83%
The Salon Professional Academy-Washington DC
Private (for-profit), less than 2-years
Washington, DC $22,000 117 - 51%
NewU University
Private (not-for-profit), four-years
Washington, DC $6,500 34 - -