Vic: Wealth and school no link to uni drop-outs

AAP General News (Australia)
04-19-2007
Vic: Wealth and school no link to uni drop-outs

EDS: Embargoed until 0001 AEST Thursday, April 19



MELBOURNE, April 19 AAP - Students of low socioeconomic backgrounds or government school
educations are not more likely to drop out of university, a new report shows.

An analysis of university attrition rates by the Australian Council for Educational
Research (ACER) found those factors had little bearing on a student's chances of completing
their degree.

The study analysed a group of young Australians who commenced university study between
1998 and 2001 and tracked their progress until 2004.

It found 66 per cent had completed their university course by 2004, 16 per cent had
withdrawn, 11 per cent had changed course and eight per cent were continuing.

"The findings indicate that once students with a lower socioeconomic status enter university,
their background does not negatively affect their chances of completing the course," ACER
chief executive Professor Geoff Masters said.

However, students with high ENTER scores - rankings given to school leavers in Victoria
- were more likely to finish their course than those with upper-mid range scores.

"To improve equity in university graduation rates, however, more needs to be done to
assist students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to complete Year 12 and go on to
university," Prof Masters said.

The study found university completion was lowest among students who had attended independent
schools (61 per cent) and highest among those who went to Catholic schools (69 per cent).

For students from government schools, the completion rate was 66 per cent.

The study also followed university drop-outs for up to five years after they left university.

Although they had very low rates of unemployment, their weekly pay and job status were
substantially less than those of peers who completed their degrees.

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