‘Dropouts or stopouts or comebackers or potential completers?’: Non-continuation of students in the UK

2 April 2024 What is the scale of the problem? The previous HEPI report on non-continuation, which was produced during the pandemic but used data for the pre-COVID period, noted that the UK had the lowest non-continuation rate in the developed world, as measured by the OECD.7 Ireland performed second best when measured by the ‘theoretical duration’ of courses but slipped to a still creditable four. [...] In most developed countries, as the OECD data already referred to made clear, there is a bigger jump in the results between completing within the original timeframe of a qualification to completing within the original timeframe plus three years – although even here the UK has been in top place. [...] The entry to higher education being a bigger transition point: Typically, enrolling in higher education in the UK direct from school has meant moving away from home and living in another city.13 This makes the transition from the previous stage of life bigger and it involves all sorts of challenges, but it also means unwinding the step up to higher education may be harder and more soul destroying. [...] the Lord Johnson, who presided over the original implementation of the TEF as well as the increase in the maximum fee for TEF-accredited institutions from £9,000 to £9,250 in 2017, want the TEF to be used for future fee increases too.40 Perhaps because the link to fee levels has been loose, the TEF has not as yet shaken things up as much as it was originally designed to do. [...] It is the relatively low attendance rate in the compulsory stage of education since the pandemic lessened, insufficient support for sub-degree provision, high drop-out rates among a minority of institutions, courses and students (including degree apprenticeships) and people being unable to make the most of their student experience because they have not got enough money and have to undertake a high.