Study to examine working class drop-out rates

A new survey into why working class students drop out of university is to be conducted, it was announced today. The research, which will be organised by the Institute for Access Studies at Staffordshire University, is to be undertaken in consultation with ex-students, staff and members of the public across four universities - Staffordshire, Glamorgan, Ulster Coleraine and Paisley.

Drop-out rates at UK universities have soared in recent years, with London universities among the hardest hit. According to the latest figures from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), 45% of students at the University of North London drop out before graduation. At the University of Paisley the figure is only slightly lower, with 31% dropping out, while at the University of Central Lancashire the figure is 33%.

Research into drop-out rates has revealed that financial constraints are often a determining factor - indicated by the large number of students leaving university after the first year of their course. At Paisley, one in five students leaves after the first year.

Among the elite universities - the Russell group of 19 institutions - working class students represent fewer than one-quarter of the intake. Last year only eight universities in the group managed to increase admissions from the families of skilled manual, semi-skilled or unskilled workers.

Commenting on the figures, Dr Jocey Quinn at the Institute for Access Studies said: "The numbers of working class students are not growing and when they do enter universities ... they are still dropping out."

Dr Quinn said that the project will draw on the experiences of a range of other countries, using the Institute's links to Australia, Canada, Eire, Germany, Italy, Holland, Sweden and the United States.

The project has received an award from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and will publish its findings and recommendations in two years' time. The report will also be used as the basis for an international conference on university participation to be held at the university.