Retention Rate Record Set

Nanki BhullarTHE SANTA CLARAJanuary 8, 2014

[dropcap]S[/dropcap]anta Clara has set a new institutional record for the number of students returning to Santa Clara after their first year.

Of all freshmen students who entered the university in fall 2013, 96.2 percent returned for their sophomore year.

Santa Clara’s previous record freshmen retention rate, set by the 2011 class returning in fall 2012, was 95.2 percent.

The retention rate for the 2012 class returning in 2013 was 95 percent.

Mike Sexton, vice president for enrollment management, said the increased quality of residential programs can account for increasing freshman retention rates.

“The new core curriculum that was introduced in 2009 and the way it is correlated with the (Residential Learning Community) dormitories has led to closer-knit communities among students living in the same buildings,” Sexton said.

Sexton added that the retention rate can also be attributed to the progressively increasing quality of the applicant pool.

Seventy-five percent of all freshmen in fall 2013 were in the top 25 percent of their high school class, as were 80 percent of all freshmen who joined Santa Clara this fall.

Santa Clara’s acceptance rate also dropped to 50 percent this year because of a larger number of applicants.

Contact Nanki Bhullar at nbhullar@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4852.