Who leaves? Students who enter with weak academic qualifications, in terms of points and grades in maths and English.
Students in the larger, less vocational Faculties of Arts, Philosophy and Sociology, Science and Agriculture. Students from outside Dublin, in particular those within commuting distance of Dublin and those from other EU countries.
How many leave? Of the 1999-2001 entrants, 15.9 per cent were no longer registered in the faculty they first entered. The percentage, according to the study, is extremely low. Ireland rated second for student completion when compared with OECD figures published in Education at a Glance. The trend showed a slight improvement over the three-year period.
Why do they leave? "Wrong course choice" is the strongest influencing factor. Significant numbers also rank "size and unfriendliness" as important factors in their decision to leave.
Where are they now? Only a small percentage leave third level entirely. It was estimated over 95 per cent of those who left had re-entered UCD, another third-level institution or intended to do so.
Source: Staying the Course: A Study of Student Retention: UCD Entrants 1999-2001
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