University degree dropout rate reaches record high in 2022

The rate of students completing their degree within six years hit a record low in Australia in 2022 as cost-of-living pressures and plentiful job opportunities pushed up dropout rates, writes Julie Hare for the Australian Financial Review.

Federal Education Department data shows 25.4% of students who commenced their studies in 2017 had dropped out by the end of 2022 – the highest rate since records began in 2005 – and 1.3 percentage points higher than the previous corresponding period.

Record attrition rates are running in parallel with decreased interest in university study, with overall numbers down 13% since 2016.
Full report on the Australian Financial Review site