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Media ReleaseAUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITIES - NON-COMPLETIONS RAISE CHALLENGE
K7208 24 August 1999
The Minister for Education, Training and Youth Affairs, Dr David Kemp said today that, "with about 82 per cent of undergraduates completing their degree it is evident that there is a need for more attention to lift undergraduate completion rates still further." Dr Kemp's comments are based on two papers made available today, Completions: Undergraduate Academic Outcomes for 1992 Commencing Students, prepared within the Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs, and Transition from Secondary to Tertiary Study, prepared at Monash University. "The study on transition provides many examples of ways institutions can improve student transition rates and make our higher education system more effective. These suggestions are based on the experiences of students in our universities and provide a sound basis for action. Good career advice, for example, before students start university, and even while they are at university, could reduce the number of people who don’t complete a degree the first time," said Dr Kemp. Commenting on the paper Completions: Undergraduate Academic Outcomes for 1992 Commencing Students, Dr Kemp said the completion rate for undergraduates took into account those students who recommenced their degree after a failed first attempt. "The OECD estimate of 65 per cent of undergraduates completing a degree now seems to be an underestimate of the final completion rate. The OECD report did not take into account that over 50 per cent of students who don’t get a degree the first time go back to university at some time later," said Dr Kemp. Despite this new higher completion rate both papers found that there is much variability in successful transition and completion of a degree. Students with a high Tertiary Entrance Rank (TER) or who are women or who study full-time all have reasonably good success rates. "For other students, however, there are wide differences in student transition and completion patterns. For example, the Transition from Secondary to Tertiary study reports that more than one in five school leavers surveyed across seven universities expressed dissatisfaction with university at the end of their first semester. Many school leavers felt they were not getting what they wanted out of their university course, had considered deferring, or had difficulty adjusting to the university style of teaching. "It is clear that students want their university to give more attention to their varying needs. "At a time when we have a mass higher education system institutions need to be more responsive, particularly to the needs of the school leaver. They need to adopt an approach which focuses on the particular needs of their own student body," said Dr Kemp. Transition from Secondary to Tertiary is available at DETYA’s Higher Education Division home page at http://www.detya.gov.au/highered/index.asp and Completions: Undergraduate Academic Outcomes for 1992 Commencing Students, will be available from the same site from 26 August.
For further information: Samantha Herron 02 6277 7460 or 0412 639 754
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