Revealed: How many students are dropping out of your uni

We’ve all thought about it, come on


As March rolls around and dissertation season starts to bite, there’s only one activity which can make things better – telling your friends “might drop out” at every possible opportunity.

But, statistically, how many students actually go through with this? New data from HESA shows London’s Queen Mary has the highest drop out rate of the Russell Group.

At the other end of the table, only one per cent of Cambridge students drop out.

Which Russell Group uni has the highest drop out rate? Find out below:

Source: HESA statistics on non-continuation rates for students starting their degrees in 2017/18

Increasing dropout rates have sparked concern. The overall number of students dropping out rose by 0.3 per cent from 2016/17 entrants to 2017/18 entrants.

Nicola Dandridge, chief executive of the Office for Students, said: “These figures show that the rate of both young and mature students choosing not to continue their studies has increased. English higher education enjoys internationally high completion rates, but an increase in the proportion of students dropping out is a concern. Rates vary significantly between different higher education providers, and a number of providers will need to think seriously about what they can do to reduce these rates.”

“Where we have concerns about performance at individual providers, we will continue to take action as necessary to ensure that students from all backgrounds are able to fully realise the many life-changing benefits of higher education.”

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