The number of students dropping out of courses in the 14 institutes of technology (IOTs) has declined significantly, according to a new report.
The report, due to be published next week, claims the number of students completing their courses in the IOTs now matches - and in some cases is even better than comparable figures for the universities.
The study cites particular progress at colleges such as Letterkenny IT and Dundalk IT, where dropout rates were highest in the last such survey six years ago.
Other colleges with high retention rates include Cork IT and Limerick IT.
But publication of the report - initially due two months ago - was delayed because of what one source called "incomplete " figures for the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT). Some sources suggest that the retention rate at DIT is "not as good as expected".
The study tracked the progress of students entering IOTs since 2002. It monitored the number who completed their course four years after enrolment.
Generally, the new study will represent a huge boost for the IOT sector, where 40 per cent of all third-level students are enrolled.
Very high non-completion or dropout rates have been a blight on the otherwise hugely successful IOT sector. Some 42 per cent of all IOT students failed to complete their course, according to a 2000 study. But the new study shows a very significant decline in this rate.
It is a timely boost for the sector, which will shortly come under the aegis of the Higher Education Authority (HEA). The HEA has already signalled it will penalise any third-level colleges that fail to address high dropout rates.
The IOTs, formerly the regional technical colleges, were designed to support industrial development, but now offer huge diversity across all disciplines. The sector has over 40,000 students.
The survey shows that colleges such as Waterford IT and Carlow IT continue to boast high retention rates, with the vast majority of students completing their courses. Dundalk IT (41 per cent) and Letterkenny IT (39 per cent) had the lowest retention rates in the last survey. But new measures have helped to increase the retention rate dramatically.
On enrolment , students at Letterkenny IT, for example, complete a detailed programme which identifies any learning needs in literacy , numeracy and so on. This, and other initiatives, are seen as helping to boost the retention rate.
The new research shows that the IOTs matching and in some cases improving on the non completion or drop out rates for the universities. But the comparable data for the seven universities is now some five years out of date.
This data found that 28 per cent of students dropped out of NUI Maynooth and over 20 per cent dropped out at the University of Limerick. Among the colleges, NUI Galway performed best with a dropout rate of 13 per cent, followed by UCD (14 per cent), UCC (15 per cent), TCD (16 per cent) and DCU (21 per cent). But the universities insist the retention rates have increased significantly in recent years.
Broadly, arts and business courses enjoy the highest retention rates in the IOTs, but the picture is less encouraging in some engineering and computer courses.