University: Student drop-out rate in NI lowest on record

The drop-out rate for Northern Ireland students is the lowest since at least 2014

The proportion of students dropping out of degree courses in Northern Ireland has fallen to the lowest level on record.

That is according to new data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

The drop-out rate in Northern Ireland for students who began their degree course in 2019-2020 was also lower than the overall rate for the UK.

That is despite a move to remote learning during the pandemic.

There had been concerns that more students would choose to leave their courses when having to live away from campus and learning remotely.

Some studies have suggested increased isolation also led to a rise in mental health problems.

However, a lack of alternatives like travel and employment - which were also affected by the pandemic - may have led to fewer students deciding not to continue with degree courses.

"The increase in the proportion of entrants continuing in higher education (HE) after their first year cannot be directly attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic but there is often a trend for increased HE enrolments in periods of economic uncertainty," HESA said.

Fewer than one-in-25 (3.9%) Northern Ireland students aged under 21 who began a full-time undergraduate degree in 2019-20 dropped out of their course.

That was lower than the UK average of 5.3% and lower than any previous year in Northern Ireland going back to at least 2014.

HESA said that drop-out rates across the UK were the lowest since it started keeping records.

Queen's University Belfast is one university seeing fewer students dropping out

Out of 7,265 new "young" students at Queen's University of Belfast, Ulster University, Stranmillis University College and St Mary's University College in 2019-2020, only 280 decided to leave higher education.

Young students are counted as those under 21 when they start their degree course.

The dropout rate among 1,925 mature students in Northern Ireland was higher at 5.6% (105 students) but also lower than any year since at least 2014.

HESA also projected that more than nine in every 10 (90.4%) students in Northern Ireland who began university in 2019-2020 would go on to complete their degree.

That is also the highest figure on record from the agency, which is the statutory body for the collection of higher education data in the UK.