Compendium First Year Student Retention

First-Year Student Retention

by College and Field of Study

2018-19 through 2024-25 cohorts

Athens Campus


These tables show the percent of students entering the Athens campus in each fall academic term as full-time, degree-seeking first-year students who return as second-year students. Students are counted in each major according to the first major in which they enrolled at the university. 

Email IEA@ohio.edu for an excel or csv version of these tables. 

Athens First-time, full-time, degree seeking student retention in each college and field of study by entry cohort
CollegeField of StudyFall 2019Fall 2020Fall 2021Fall 2022Fall 2023Fall 2024AVG %
Arts & SciencesAfrican American Studies

0%

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Arts & SciencesAnthropology

91%

92%

67%

89%

59%

78%

77%

Arts & SciencesBiological Sciences

80%

81%

78%

83%

85%

83%

82%

Arts & SciencesChemistry

82%

81%

74%

74%

83%

80%

79%

Arts & SciencesClassics & World Religions

100%

0%

100%

100%

83%

100%

89%

Arts & SciencesEarth and Environmental Geosciences

100%

100%

86%

100%

100%

100%

97%

Arts & SciencesEconomics

29%

50%

67%

67%

67%

86%

63%

Arts & SciencesEnglish

85%

71%

86%

83%

78%

88%

82%

Arts & SciencesEnvironmental & Plant Biology

78%

71%

75%

91%

87%

86%

85%

Arts & SciencesGeography

77%

94%

83%

71%

81%

89%

82%

Arts & SciencesHistory

86%

76%

83%

82%

88%

88%

84%

Arts & SciencesInternational Affairs*

91%

88%

63%

89%

83%

100%

85%

Arts & SciencesLinguistics

67%

86%

0%

88%

90%

0%

74%

Arts & SciencesMathematics

88%

95%

57%

83%

85%

92%

84%

Arts & SciencesModern Languages

100%

75%

100%

100%

100%

100%

96%

Arts & SciencesPhilosophy

50%

50%

100%

100%

100%

60%

83%

Arts & SciencesPhysics & Astronomy

72%

88%

89%

95%

78%

100%

86%

Arts & SciencesPolitical Science

75%

82%

82%

83%

84%

80%

81%

Arts & SciencesPsychology

80%

82%

74%

75%

78%

82%

79%

Arts & SciencesSociology

78%

79%

77%

84%

82%

82%

81%

Arts & SciencesUndecided Arts & Sciences

78%

72%

71%

80%

70%

70%

75%

Arts & SciencesWomen's, Gender, & Sexuality Stud.

N/A

100%

N/A

100%

100%

0%

N/A

Arts & SciencesARTS & SCIENCES TOTAL

79%

81%

77%

81%

81%

83%

81%

BusinessAnalytics & Information Systems

87%

96%

87%

84%

80%

84%

85%

BusinessAccounting

90%

83%

87%

84%

90%

92%

88%

BusinessBusiness Economics

82%

68%

74%

82%

82%

80%

80%

BusinessFinance

91%

84%

81%

87%

90%

86%

87%

BusinessGeneral Business

78%

82%

87%

97%

74%

81%

85%

BusinessManagement Systems

87%

85%

85%

82%

82%

93%

85%

BusinessMarketing

88%

81%

83%

83%

92%

94%

88%

BusinessSports Administration

89%

84%

81%

84%

92%

85%

86%

BusinessUndecided Business

83%

88%

76%

87%

86%

90%

85%

BusinessBUSINESS TOTAL

85%

84%

82%

85%

87%

89%

86%

CommunicationCommunication Studies

78%

91%

84%

88%

94%

87%

87%

CommunicationEmerging Communication Tech

33%

100%

83%

84%

92%

84%

85%

CommunicationJournalism

87%

87%

86%

94%

94%

84%

89%

CommunicationMedia Arts & Studies

84%

85%

80%

82%

87%

90%

85%

CommunicationVisual Communication

91%

86%

90%

100%

91%

84%

90%

CommunicationCOMMUNICATION TOTAL

84%

87%

84%

89%

91%

87%

87%

EducationEarly Childhood Education

71%

86%

87%

83%

84%

86%

83%

EducationHuman & Consumer Sciences

100%

82%

81%

91%

72%

85%

85%

EducationMiddle Childhood Education

78%

91%

70%

83%

84%

90%

93%

EducationRecreation & Sport Pedagogy

100%

83%

54%

55%

80%

86%

75%

EducationAdolescent to Young Adult

82%

84%

81%

90%

81%

85%

84%

EducationSpecial Education

92%

87%

80%

88%

100%

94%

89%

EducationUndecided Education

85%

78%

100%

58%

57%

75%

79%

EducationEDUCATION TOTAL

81%

85%

81%

84%

83%

86%

83%

Engineering & TechnologyAviation

75%

85%

83%

81%

89%

88%

85%

Engineering & TechnologyChemical & Biomolecular Engineering

87%

93%

88%

81%

97%

93%

90%

Engineering & TechnologyCivil Engineering

92%

86%

85%

92%

91%

90%

90%

Engineering & TechnologyComputer Science

88%

67%

84%

86%

89%

87%

85%

Engineering & TechnologyElectrical Engineering

86%

92%

76%

84%

89%

92%

86%

Engineering & TechnologyEngineering Tech & Management

91%

77%

63%

88%

85%

85%

83%

Engineering & TechnologyIndustrial & Systems Engineering

100%

75%

100%

88%

88%

100%

93%

Engineering & TechnologyMechanical Engineering

89%

81%

74%

86%

89%

90%

86%

Engineering & TechnologyUndecided Engineering

77%

82%

71%

84%

94%

93%

83%

Engineering & TechnologyENGINEERING & TECH TOTAL

86%

82%

79%

85%

90%

90%

86%

Fine ArtsArt

72%

90%

90%

85%

87%

93%

88%

Fine ArtsDance

88%

90%

93%

85%

90%

100%

91%

Fine ArtsFilm

76%

96%

89%

92%

94%

96%

91%

Fine ArtsMusic

90%

88%

86%

86%

91%

85%

75%

Fine ArtsTheater

86%

83%

96%

93%

90%

86%

88%

Fine ArtsFINE ARTS TOTAL

84%

89%

90%

88%

90%

90%

89%

Health Sciences & ProfessionsAthletic Training

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

Health Sciences & ProfessionsChild & Family Studies

92%

79%

86%

93%

85%

100%

89%

Health Sciences & ProfessionsCommunication Sciences & Disorders

94%

88%

94%

90%

96%

93%

92%

Health Sciences & ProfessionsEnvironmental Health

100%

100%

89%

100%

100%

100%

96%

Health Sciences & ProfessionsExercise Physiology

75%

81%

77%

82%

83%

86%

81%

Health Sciences & ProfessionsHealth Administration

100%

100%

78%

94%

92%

75%

90%

Health Sciences & ProfessionsNursing

85%

83%

81%

75%

77%

79%

79%

Health Sciences & ProfessionsNutrition Sciences

85%

68%

90%

92%

86%

83%

84%

Health Sciences & ProfessionsPublic Health

100%

100%

50%

67%

100%

100%

89%

Health Sciences & ProfessionsSocial Work

91%

72%

91%

74%

88%

75%

80%

Health Sciences & ProfessionsUndecided Health Sciences & Prof

75%

72%

76%

69%

72%

71%

73%

Health Sciences & ProfessionsHEALTH SCIENCES & PROF TOTAL

82%

81%

81%

78%

82%

82%

81%

Honors Tutorial CollegeHONORS TUTORIAL TOTAL

98%

100%

96%

96%

99%

100%

98%

University CollegeUNIVERSITY COLLEGE TOTAL

74%

72%

68%

77%

77%

76%

74%

University TotalUNIVERSITY TOTAL

81%

81%

79%

83%

84%

85%

82%


**Beginning in 2023, International Studies moved under Arts & Sciences and Communication
 

Athens first-time, full-time, degree seeking student retention college totals
College2018-192019-202020-212021-222022-232023-242024-25AVG %
ARTS & SCIENCES TOTAL

79%

80%

81%

77%

81%

79%

83%

81%

BUSINESS TOTAL

89%

85%

84%

82%

85%

85%

89%

86%

COMMUNICATION TOTAL

88%

84%

87%

84%

89%

87%

87%

87%

EDUCATION TOTAL

83%

81%

85%

81%

84%

83%

86%

83%

ENGINEERING & TECH TOTAL

82%

86%

82%

79%

85%

90%

90%

86%

FINE ARTS TOTAL

87%

84%

89%

90%

88%

90%

90%

89%

HEALTH SCIENCES & PROF TOTAL

77%

82%

81%

81%

78%

82%

82%

81%

HONORS TUTORIAL TOTAL

99%

98%

100%

96%

96%

99%

100%

98%

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE TOTAL

77%

74%

72%

68%

77%

77%

76%

74%

UNIVERSITY TOTAL

81%

81%

81%

79%

83%

84%

85%

82%


**Beginning in 2023, International Studies moved under Arts & Sciences and Communication