Black and Hispanic College Freshmen Return for Their Second Year at Highest Rate in a Decade

New report shows part-time college freshmen also returning for second year at decade-high rate

HERNDON, Va., June 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Nearly 86 percent of the 2.62 million students who entered college in the fall of 2024 returned for their second semester – and more than 77 percent returned the next fall, according to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Those rates held steady from the prior year.

The 2026 Persistence and Retention Report is the latest in a series that tracks the percentage of students that stay in college, defined as persistence, for their second semester and also for the next fall—as well as the rates at which students stay enrolled at their starting institution, defined as retention, for the same milestones.

This year's report finds that Black and Hispanic students who entered college in the fall of 2024 posted notable increases in the rates at which they returned for the next fall—both remaining in college at the highest rates in a decade and returning to the same institution at the highest rates in a decade. (Hispanic persistence: 74.5%, +1.5pp; Hispanic retention: 66.9%, +1.4pp; Black persistence: 70.0%, +1.4pp; Black retention: 59.6%, +1.0pp). Native American freshmen in fall 2024 also showed notable one-year gains in second fall persistence (65.7% + 1.1pp) and retention (56.5%, +1.1pp).

"Persistence and retention are early indicators of whether students are staying connected to college after entry," said Matthew Holsapple, senior director of research at the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. "This year's results show steady first-year momentum overall, while some groups of students are seeing especially encouraging gains."

Student transfer rates remain low: Most fall 2024 freshmen were still enrolled at their starting institution in spring 2025, with an 83.2 percent retention rate for the cohort. Only 2.6 percent continued their enrollment at another institution in their first spring term. A year after entry, in fall 2025, 69.1 percent of the cohort were still enrolled at their starting institution, while 8.0 percent had transferred to another institution. These rates were virtually unchanged from the prior year.

More part-time freshmen return for second year: Part-time students who entered college in fall 2024 returned the next fall at a decade-high rate of 54.1 percent, up 1.3pp compared to the fall 2023 cohort. Persistence and retention rates for part-time students increased in all sectors, with the largest increases among four-year institutions.

Significant differences among fields of study: Among starting fall 2024 bachelor's degree students in the top ten major fields, those in Engineering programs persisted into a second fall of study at the highest rate (93.1%), while those in Computer Science persisted at the lowest rate (85.0%). For entering associate degree students in the most popular majors, those in Biology had the highest second fall persistence rate (74.1%), while those in Security and Protective Services had the lowest (57.8%). Starting certificate-seekers in Liberal Arts had the highest persistence into their second fall (64.9%), while those in Security and Protective Services had the lowest (54.0%).

About the National Student Clearinghouse^® Research Center™
The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center is the research arm of the National Student Clearinghouse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization formed in 1993. The Research Center collaborates with higher education institutions, states, school districts, high schools, and educational organizations as part of a national effort to better inform education leaders and policymakers. Through accurate longitudinal data outcomes reporting, the Research Center enables better educational policy decisions leading to improved student outcomes. To learn more, visit nscresearchcenter.org.

SOURCE National Student Clearinghouse