One in 16 undergraduates drop out in year one

One in 16 students in the United Kingdom leave their undergraduate course before the end of year one for a variety of reasons, writes Rachael Pells for inews.

For most students starting out at university, the first term is a time for embracing independence and making the most of exciting new opportunities away from home. For others, the experience can be scary and stressful, or simply doesn’t live up to the hype – prompting questions about value for money. One in 16 students do not make it through to the second year of their course, according to the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

The trend for students entering university with unconditional offers may increase this, as their drop-out rate is 10% higher than those who had to achieve set grades. Of the 20,000 ‘defectors’ last year, some will have started again at another university; others will have left education altogether. But the number represents 6.3% of the student population, up from 5.7% in 2012-13.
Full report on the inews site