Becoming Intentional About College Retention July 28th, 2014 One of the biggest concerns at colleges and universities is how best to improve retention. Retention means something quite different depending upon the institution. At elite colleges, for example, retention rates below 85 percent in four years are a cause of concern. At two-year and four-year colleges that are overwhelmingly first generation, highly diverse, adult-learning focused, and tuition dependent, the numbers are often well below 40 percent over four years. At community colleges, two-year retention rates are even lower.
