Colleges with the Highest Graduation Rates
Graduation rate is the most underrated stat in college search. A school with a 90% four-year grad rate isn't just selective — it's also one where students consistently make it across the finish line on time. Lower grad rates often mean transfers, dropouts, or stretched-out timelines that add a year of tuition.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard
- 1
St. John Vianney College Seminary
Florida · Private nonprofit
100%4-year grad rate - 2
Harvard University
Massachusetts · Private nonprofit
97%4-year grad rate - 3
Princeton University
New Jersey · Private nonprofit
97%4-year grad rate - 4
University of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania · Private nonprofit
97%4-year grad rate - 5
Duke University
North Carolina · Private nonprofit
96%4-year grad rate - 6
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts · Private nonprofit
96%4-year grad rate - 7
Yale University
Connecticut · Private nonprofit
96%4-year grad rate - 8
University of Notre Dame
Indiana · Private nonprofit
96%4-year grad rate - 9
Dartmouth College
New Hampshire · Private nonprofit
96%4-year grad rate - 10
Brown University
Rhode Island · Private nonprofit
96%4-year grad rate - 11
Curtis Institute of Music
Pennsylvania · Private nonprofit
96%4-year grad rate - 12
Columbia University in the City of New York
New York · Private nonprofit
96%4-year grad rate - 13
Northwestern University
Illinois · Private nonprofit
96%4-year grad rate - 14
University of Virginia-Main Campus
Virginia · Public
95%4-year grad rate - 15
Bowdoin College
Maine · Private nonprofit
95%4-year grad rate - 16
University of Chicago
Illinois · Private nonprofit
95%4-year grad rate - 17
Cornell University
New York · Private nonprofit
95%4-year grad rate - 18
Rice University
Texas · Private nonprofit
95%4-year grad rate - 19
Williams College
Massachusetts · Private nonprofit
95%4-year grad rate - 20C
California Northstate University
California · Private for-profit
95%4-year grad rate - 21
Georgetown University
Washington, D.C. · Private nonprofit
95%4-year grad rate - 22
Washington and Lee University
Virginia · Private nonprofit
94%4-year grad rate - 23
Washington University in St Louis
Missouri · Private nonprofit
94%4-year grad rate - 24
Franklin W Olin College of Engineering
Massachusetts · Private nonprofit
94%4-year grad rate - 25
Johns Hopkins University
Maryland · Private nonprofit
94%4-year grad rate
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