College drop-outs blame institutions

"The course was totally different to the explanation in the prospectus" - former business studies student.

As the debate over student drop-out rates intensifies in the run-up to the publication of new figures later this year, can anything be done to dissuade disaffected learners from quitting studies?

For a start, institutions could be more honest with prospective students, according to Mantz Yorke, whose survey of non-completion offers some revealing insights from the students themselves.

Professor Yorke's research into non-completion has analysed individual student drop-outs from 11 institutions across the United Kingdom.

Leafing through a selection of prospectuses, anyone could be forgiven for thinking higher education was a haven of permanent sunshine: "I have yet to see a prospectus with rainy pictures inside it," says Professor Yorke, head of the centre for higher education development at Liverpool John Moores University.

School-leavers are particularly vulnerable to the hard sell, and research indicates that under-21s are more likely to make mistakes when choosing a course.

Two-thirds of the full-time students who quit did so during or at the end of their first year.

Looking at the top 12 influences on withdrawal, the wrong field of study was mentioned by almost 40 per cent of survey respondents, more from pre-1992 universities. This was closely followed by a lack of commitment to the course and it not turning out as expected.

Other common reasons for drop-out were unsuitable teaching, mentioned by about a third of respondents, and financial problems, mentioned by 37 per cent.

"There are some problems that need to be attacked at the system level, such as the impact of student fees and financing, and some that can be influenced by institutions," Professor Yorke said. He advocates a holistic approach to improving the student experience, including giving students a firm idea of what is going to be expected of them at both the theoretical and practical level.

More than 19 per cent of full-time students who had withdrawn, mentioned the poor quality of the student experience as a factor. And lack of personal support from staff was cited by almost a quarter.

"It may be that we need to radically rethink what we are doing and the way that we are doing it," Professor Yorke said.

WHY THEY QUIT

* "Tutorials had 25-plus students, enabling only the very confident to dominate theproceedings."(social sciences)

* "The course I attended was the first year and it was very disorganised." (technology)

* "Academic staff had a tendency to project themselves as being pushedfor time, stressed out and could notfit you into their timetable. Nomatter who you turned to, they seemed too busy." (science)

* "Accommodation was very small and inadequate, like being in prison. You need privacy and it was impossible." (combined studies)