The freshmen retention rate, or the percentage of college freshmen who return for their sophomore year, has long been seen as a measure of the quality of a college. DU has a retention rate of 88 percent, and while that number is respectable, it could and should be a lot higher.

Let’s take a look at some numbers.  The schools with the highest rates are, predictably, the Ivy League schools out East, along with other highly selective national universities. Yale boasts a 99 percent retention rate, Harvard and Stanford toast to 98 percent and UCLA and Vanderbilt clock in at 97 percent.

But some large public institutions also rank high, with the University of Michigan at 96 percent, the University of Illinois and University of Wisconsin at 94 percent and the University of Texas at 92 percent.

All of the schools with those impressive retention rates are also ranked higher than DU in national, academic  college rankings by U.S. News and World Report. But DU is actually ranked higher than both Florida State (91 percent retention) and Indiana University (90 percent), although its retention rate is lower than theirs. Less prestigious schools like the University of Central Florida and Illinois State also give DU a run for its money, with retention rates of 87 and 85 percent, respectively.

Why don’t freshmen come back for their sophomore year at colleges in general? The reasons are broad, and range from family problems and loneliness to lack of money and academic struggle. Still, the two critical numbers in many parents’ minds when considering colleges with their high schoolers are the graduation rate and retention rate of a given school.

Other than the self-explanatory graduation rate, the retention rate is generally seen as a measure of the quality of the school, showing whether freshmen are happy and confident in their education and come back for another year. Some colleges do a good job of taking care of their freshmen while others do not.

Across the more than 4,000 US degree-granting institutions of higher learning, the average freshman retention rate is 77 percent. But DU is ranked 87th nationally according to U.S. News and World Report and is a high-tuition private institution, both factors that point to a higher retention rate.

While 88 percent is respectable, it could and should certainly be higher. Breaking the 90 percent barrier would convince plenty of savvy parents that DU is worth the more than $50,000 per year it costs to attend.