National drop-out rates fall but fail to improve in London

Drop-out rates have fallen slightly at UK universities and colleges but are still sitting at more than one in three students at some institutions, according to figures published today by the funding councils.

Tables, published by Hefce, the higher education funding council for England, and the equivalent bodies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, showed that the proportion of students projected to leave either without a degree or by transferring to another institution was as high as 39% at the University of North London and 35% at London Guildhall - the two institutions which have now merged as London Metropolitan.

London South Bank, the University of East London and Thames Valley University, also fare badly in the table, and all five institutions take higher than average proportions of mature students and those from poorer backgrounds.

The national projected drop-out rate for students starting in 2000/01 is 15%, compared to 16% for the previous year. These figures were welcomed by Alan Johnson, the higher education minister, who said: "It is encouraging that more students are finishing their courses despite more students going to university. We already have one of the best completion rates in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, so to make an improvement is a real achievement".

The data on the proportion of working-class students entering each of the 168 universities and colleges in the UK was very similar to the previous year, showing what deep-rooted problems the government and universities face in trying to redress the middle-class bias in higher education.

Sir Howard Newby, the chief executive of Hefce, said: "I welcome the small reduction in drop-out rates for full-time students, which maintains the UK's position as one of the most successful countries in the world for students completing their courses. But there is no cause for complacency.

"Although there are signs of some progress in other areas, overall the figures show relatively little change on last year. This underlines the scale of the task facing universities and colleges as, for example, they tackle the problems of recruiting more students with potential from poorer backgrounds."

However, 86% of young entrants to first degree courses in 2001/02 had attended state schools, a small increase from the previous year. Slightly more than a quarter of young entrants to first degree courses came from the lowest three socio-economic groups, a small increase from 25.4% in 2000/01 to 25.8% in 2001/02. Some 13% of young full-time entrants to first degree courses came from low participation neighbourhoods in 2001/02, an increase of 0.6% on the previous year; while 2% of full-time first degree students were in receipt of the Disabled Students' Allowance.

As in previous years, a higher proportion of mature entrants (14%) than young entrants (7%) did not continue in higher education beyond their first year. The figure for mature students dropped by two percentage points from 16% the previous year.

There has been an increase in the proportion of graduates who remain unemployed for six months after graduation of slightly more than 0.5% in 2001/02.

Durham University, which has a non-completion figure of only 4%, said it had made significant progress in recruiting mature students who have no previous experience of higher education and come from low participation neighbourhoods. These highly motivated students accounted for 30% of the university's 315 mature entrants in 2001/02, well above the national average.

Oxford University, with a non-completion rate of only 2%, said that figures for students from low participation neighbourhoods were better than the university's general figures. A spokesman said this was due to rigorous selection and the support given by colleges.

Top 10 universities which have the highest percentage of students projected to leave without a degree or transfer to another institution.

University of North London - 39%
London Guildhall University - 35%
London South Bank University - 34%
Bolton Institute of Higher Education - 32%
University of East London - 29%
Thames Valley University - 28%
University of Gloucestershire - 27%
Liverpool Hope University College - 26%
University of Luton - 26%
University of Sunderland - 26%