Degree course dropout rates fall to lowest on record
On average, 2% of students dropped out across Russell Group universities.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The proportion of young students dropping out of degree courses has fallen to the lowest rate on record, figures reveal.
New data, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), shows that in 2019/20 the dropout rate for UK students was 5.3%, a fall of 1.4 percentage points on the previous year, and the lowest rate on record.
The data shows that the likelihood of a student not continuing their studies depends heavily on where they study, with nearly a third of students dropping out at some institutions, compared with virtually none at others.
At Arden University in 2019/20, 32.3% had dropped out, while 19.2% had dropped out at Point Blank Music School and 16% had discontinued their studies at London Metropolitan University. In total, 27 institutions had dropout rates of more than 10% out of 179 institutions analysed.
I have long argued that when it comes to university, getting on is every bit as important as getting in, and that universities must focus on tackling drop-out rates among students
Meanwhile, the Open University and the University College of Osteopathy had dropout rates of 0%.
The Russell Group of elite universities had very low dropout rates. The University of Cambridge had a dropout rate of 0.6% while the University of Oxford saw 0.9% of students discontinue their courses.
On average across the Russell Group, just 2% of undergraduates dropped out after their first year.
The figures also showed that 9.4% of full-time students on their first degree would leave with no degree awarded, a fall of 1.7 percentage points from the previous year, and also the lowest rate on record.
The HESA suggested that while the increase in the proportion of students continuing with their courses after their first year “cannot be directly attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic”, there is often a trend towards increased university enrolment in “periods of economic uncertainty”.
“This behaviour may extend to a desire to continue degree courses when other paths outside are less certain,” it said.
Minister for higher and further education Michelle Donelan said: “I have long argued that when it comes to university, getting on is every bit as important as getting in, and that universities must focus on tackling drop-out rates among students.
“That is why it is so greatly welcome to see that, for the first time, it is projected over 90% of students will complete a qualification – the highest rate ever recorded. This is real progress, impacting real lives – and I want to put on record my thanks to our universities for their hard work, especially through a challenging pandemic, in reaching this milestone”.