22 Feb 2018

The stats surrounding Aussie uni drop out rates aren’t great and it looks to be getting worse, with one in three students failing to complete the course they began within six years of enrolling.

While we argue that it’s not necessarily a bad thing that students aren’t sticking it out to finish their degree, it’s worth thinking about why we’re not making it to graduation.

Research says that completion rates are affected by a couple of different things, like where you’re from, how old you are, whether you’re indigenous and whether you’re studying online or on campus.

Plus, we need to think about the fact that a lot of students jump into degrees they’re not sure about, or just for the sake of it because they don’t know what else to do after they finish high school.

Some people (Turnball I’m lookin’ at you) argue it’s because uni’s are just taking in too many students, and bloated drop out rates are proof that universities are accepting too many students and prioritising revenue over results. But, a lot of other people argue it’s because uni is too damn expensive.

It’s a fair point, and some of the stats align with this theory.

It’s no big secret that uni costs big bucks. Studying is expensive, and that’s only factoring in the course of the actual degree. When you look at all the added costs like transport, textbooks and printing and photocopying, you realise that uni is not a  cheap option, particularly if you have to undertake an unpaid prac or internship as part of your studies.

Students from low SES backgrounds, students over 25 and students studying part time or externally have higher drop out rates when compared to students from high SES backgrounds, those aged 19 or under or students studying full time, or on campus. Good luck if you fit into more than one of these categories.

Basically, disadvantaged students are more likely to drop out because of pressures of finance and ‘getting by’. To put it simply, the poorer you are, the more likely you are to drop out.

Stats show if you’re both from a poor family (low SES background) and you’re working to support your studies, your drop-out rate is at a whopping 54%.

If you don’t have the money to support yourself, you don’t have any choice but to work to make ends meet. This is where we get into a catch 22; you need to work so you can pay your bills and cover your rent, transport and food but, because you’re working you can’t spend as much time studying as you need to.

If you have parents that’ll help you cover these sort of costs then you’re pretty lucky because the amount that is dished out through Youth Allowance usually isn’t enough, by far.

Should education be limited to those who are lucky enough to have a bit of money backing them? Shouldn’t everyone who is willing and able, have access to genuine and insightful learning, regardless of whether they are born into wealthy families?

The abilities of a student should be the focal point, not their money, but we’re living in a world where accessing higher education results in a crippling burden of debt and our uni drop out rates reflect that.