25 COLLEGES WITH HIGH FRESHMAN RETENTION RATES RANKED BY RETURN ON INVESTMENT (ROI)

U.C. Berkeley is the top ranked public school on this list, and also the top ranked public university by U.S. News and World Report. Berkeley boasts an acceptance rate of 25.6% which is two to four times that of many of the more exclusive private universities. The school is committed to the idea that higher education can be of the best quality and accessible-two qualities that many tend to believe are mutually exclusive. Berkeley proves them wrong year after year, turning out some of the most influential graduates in the United States in all of the major fields.

Founded in 1754 as King's College, the school has graduated three U.S. presidents, nine supreme court justices (including John Jay, the nation's first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court). Five of the founding fathers of the United States attended Columbia, so it isn't an exaggeration to say that this school has played a major role in the history of the United States, a role it continues to play to this day.

Duke was founded in 1838 by a group of Methodist and Quaker families that shared a desire to create a quality local institution of education. The university has maintained symbolic ties with the Methodist church, though it operates now as a private nonsectarian institution. The school has developed over its long history into one of the premier universities in the world.

This small private liberal arts college just outside Philadelphia has an enrollment of just over 1,500 students. With the large size of many college campuses, this is an attractive choice for students looking for a small, close knit, intellectual community. The school has a network with local colleges Haverford, Bryn Mawr, and the University of Pennsylvania that allows students to cross-register classes, providing students with a broad variety of options.

Brown University is another Ivy League school. Students with an eye for the financial side of things will be interested to know that Brown is one of few schools in the country that has expressed a commitment to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need among students.

Johns Hopkins University is renowned for its medical program, but the rich academic tradition of excellence in that program is also present in all the school's other programs. One of the top schools in the United States, Johns Hopkins broke new ground when it became the first research university in the United States. The school has placed a special emphasis on being one of the foremost research universities in the world ever since.

With an enrollment of just over 1,800 students, Amherst College is one of the smallest schools on this list. The school is widely considered to be one of the nation's top liberal arts colleges, and was ranked #13 among all colleges in the United States by Forbes Magazine in 2013. The school is also ranked as the 4th best value liberal arts college by Kiplinger.

Yale was founded as "The Collegiate School" in 1701, making it the third oldest institution of higher learning in the U.S. behind Harvard and William and Mary. The school was renamed Yale College in 1718, meaning its first name change came before most other schools in the country were even founded. Yale is one of the nation's ivy league universities, and has maintained a high standard of academic excellence and rigor across its programs throughout its history.

The first board of the University of Virginia which was founded in 1819 included two former and one current (at the time) presidents of the United States. James Monroe, who was the President of the United States at the time, donated the original land on which the university was founded. The school is one of the country's oldest public universities and one of the eight original schools listed in Richard Moll's 1985 book "Public Ivies: A Guide to America's Best Public Undergraduate Colleges and Universities". The book spotlighted public universities that offer an education of ivy league quality, at the price, and with the accessibility, of a public institution.

UCLA is one of the top universities in the California state university system. The school has an incredibly high rate of freshman retention considering its massive enrollment of over 41,000 students. There are many cultures at a school as large and diverse at UCLA, but a common theme shared by most is one of commitment to academic excellence both among faculty and students.

This private university is one of the best in the United States. Founded in LA in 1880 when the now massive metropolis was little more than a frontier town sandwiched between the desert and the ocean, USC has grown with the city. The school has always been connected with the city in which it resides and reflects the city's diversity, with high hispanic and asian representation in the school. Nearly 8,000 students (1/5th) are international.

Luminosity ranked the students at Washington University in St. Louis as the smartest students in the United States. The school's students prize its intellectual culture. One of the special things about the university is that it makes a special effort to engage students in community service, and the students respond wholeheartedly, gaining it the reputation of having some of the smartest, and most caring students in the country.

The University of Chicago boasts the largest university press in the United States. The school was founded with a donation from John D. Rockefeller in the early 1900s and quickly became one of the top institutions of higher learning in the United States. The student population is about 12,000 and the student to faculty ratio is one of the lowest in the country at 6:1.

Founded in Evanston, by John Evans and a collection of community leaders, Northwestern has been one of the premier institutions of higher education throughout most of its history. The school is environmentally conscious, and was listed as one of the top ten universities in the United States using renewable energy resources, according to the EPA-sponsored Green Power Partnership.

Pomona College is a small liberal arts university. The school may have just over 1,600 students, but the college has grown to offer more programs and institutions. Pomona is considered one of the best liberal arts colleges in the United States and is able to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need for each student thanks to its low student population and generous endowment.