Colleges where 1 in 10 quit in first year

NEARLY one in ten undergraduates drop out after just a year of studying at 20 universities in England, research has revealed.

Universities were accused of failing to make ‘significant progress’ in reducing drop-out rates by the Social Market Foundation (SMF) think- tank, which carried out the study.

Overall, researchers found that 5.9 per cent of full-time UK undergraduates dropped out in 2014-15 after their first year of studies. This was up from 5.7 per cent in 2013-14. London Metropolitan University was the worst offender, with around one in five (18.9 per cent) students quitting studies in the first year. Twenty institutions, including Staffordshire, London South Bank, Birkbeck College, Middlesex and Bolton universities, recorded a rate of at least 9.7 per cent.

The SMF accused almost 50 universities of ‘either making no progress or going back- wards on continuation rates’. It said retention rates were ‘stubbornly lower’ for students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Report author Emran Mian said: ‘Every student who does not continue in higher education means a loss of potential. Government should encourage institutions to focus on improving student success.’

A London Metropolitan University spokesman insisted that students were fully supported and the retention rate was rising.