10 per cent of students studying a foundation year in Wales dropped out in 2023

10 per cent of students studying a foundation year in Wales dropped out in 2023, according to new data.

Figures from the Student Loans Company showed the number of students dropping out of university in 2023 has increased from the previous year.

In Wales, 10.4 per cent of students dropped out of their foundation degree, compared to almost eight per cent in the previous year.

This year’s dropout rate in Wales for foundation degrees was almost double the rate of those in Northern Ireland.

A further three per cent of undergraduate students in Wales withdrew from their course, including almost four per cent of all full-time students.

Across the UK, over 40,000 undergraduate students dropped out of their courses between August 2022 and August 2023. This is the highest figure since the data was first recorded in 2018-19 and a five per cent increase from 2021-2022.

Northern Ireland continued to have the lowest dropout rate in the UK (2.4 per cent), with England’s rising to 2.7 per cent.

However, these statistics are not fully representative of the entire student body as they do not include those studying in Scotland or students who do not receive student funding.

According to Times Higher Education, the Student Loans Company counts a withdrawal as a student leaving and not wishing to re-engage in their course. This means there is no further obligation on the withdrawn student to continue paying university fees.

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