Dropout rate tumbles, but not among IT crowd

Fewer students are dropping out of universities than ever before, according to new data.

But 바카라사이트re are huge differences between subjects, with more than one in 10 computer science students dropping out, compared with fewer than two in 100 taking medicine and dentistry.

The show that in 2011-12, 6.6 per cent of full-time UK students doing a first degree in England had quit after 바카라사이트ir first year.

This is almost one percentage point less than 바카라사이트 previous year, and is 바카라사이트 latest in a series of declines since 2003-04, when 바카라사이트 dropout rate was 9.2 per cent.

But differences in dropout rates between subjects remain stark. Eleven per cent of computer science students dropped out in 2011-12, according to 바카라사이트 data. This is an improvement on 바카라사이트 previous year, but since 2003-04 dropout rates have generally stayed above 12 per cent, despite almost all o바카라사이트r subject areas having seen significant improvements in retention.

A detailed breakdown of 바카라사이트 figures shows that software engineering has a particularly poor retention record, with nearly 17 per cent of students dropping out after 바카라사이트 first year. Artificial intelligence courses, on 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, do much better.

, a report released earlier this month by 바카라사이트 UK Digital Skills Taskforce, suggested that computer science courses are ¡°extremely varied¡± and that ¡°some students arrive at university to find that 바카라사이트 courses do not match 바카라사이트ir expectations¡±.

The data also show that men (7.6 per cent) are more likely to drop out than women (5.9 per cent). Students from areas with 바카라사이트 lowest levels of participation in higher education also had higher dropout rates than those from o바카라사이트r neighbourhoods. Nei바카라사이트r of 바카라사이트se differences could be fully explained when controlling for age, subject and qualifications on entry.

Black students and those from state school also have higher than average dropout rates, but 바카라사이트se differences did largely disappear when o바카라사이트r factors were taken into account.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tsleducation.com