Third-level institutions see dropout rates as a negative statement about their efficacy, ability and appeal. But many students who drop out do so for the right reasons, altering their course of study or taking up employment. Is it time for an academic rethink? Anne Byrne reports

"Zero per cent dropout = 100 per cent success = everything is wonderful." This simple equation does not do justice to the very complex problem of attrition from college courses, says Professor Kevin Ryan, vice-president of the University of Limerick.

In the past two years, the somewhat frenzied debate about reducing college dropout rates (sorry, non-completion or attrition rates) seems to be predicated on the idea that if a college could only graduate 100 per cent of its students in the allotted course in the allotted timespan, then all would be well.

It's a view embraced by industry. In fact, the first long hard look at dropout rates came about because of concerns expressed by the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs that there were insufficient electronics and computing graduates to meet the needs of (then) growing companies such as Intel and Hewlett Packard.

When, in 1998, Dr Chris Horn, chairman of Iona Technologies and the skills group, disclosed high dropout rates, there were sharp intakes of breath and mutterings about wasted money. Until then, information had been hard to come by, with colleges, not yet under the umbrella of the Freedom of Information Act, reluctant to disclose figures.

The utilitarian view of education, driven by the needs of large corporations, is at odds with those who believe students should get a well-rounded education, and if that means changing from physics or computing to philosophy, purely on the grounds of interest, then it's the student's needs that count.

The first detailed data on dropout rates in undergraduate university courses, released in February last year, refers to students who had entered college in 1992, so it's somewhat out of date. However, these are the only comparative figures available.

The overall non-completion rate was 16.8 per cent, with NUI Galway topping the table at 12.9 per cent and NUI Maynooth at the bottom, at 27.9 per cent attrition. In the institutes of technology - which were not included in this survey commissioned by the Higher Education Authority -- the average non-completion rate is reckoned to be about 30 per cent. The ITs are currently attempting to make it easier for students to hang in (see panel).

The Minister for Education gave €500,000 to the seven universities to develop "explicit policies on retention rates" and asked the HEA to review these policies within 12 months. A spokeswoman for the HEA says a review of the policies is under discussion at present. Meanwhile, a new qualitative study on non-completion rates should get under way in the coming academic year. Colleges are putting systems in place so that quantitative data can be collected at local level.

Kevin Ryan says distinctions need to be made when it comes to defining and quantifying genuine attrition. "My definition is a student who had the ability to succeed, who had the desire to succeed, and who failed to finish the course." He says there are other students who have "shot their bolt in the Leaving Certificate, having studied in an institute of dubious education". These students got the points to secure a place, but simply can't keep up.

Spoon-feeding rote information is an accusation often levelled at second-level schools, not just grind schools. The type of learning where model answers are committed to memory does not prepare students for self-directed learning at third-level.

Students who do Transition Year, which encourages students to organise themselves for projects and study, seem to cope better with college.

In addition to those who just don't cope, Ryan says there are the students who simply chose the wrong course. He talks of students enrolling on a degree in physics, dropping out, but eventually graduating in English and history. Is that student a failure or a success?

When NUI Galway conducted a survey of the 259 students (13 per cent of first-years) who did not complete or failed their first-year course in 1999-2000, they found two of every three respondents who left before the end of first year did so because they felt the course was not suited to them. Other problems identified by students included part-time working, personal difficulties, financial problems and difficulty with courses.

What happened to students who left or failed? Many went back into the education system, with 80 per cent of respondents in full-time education or training, 14 per cent employed and 4 per cent unemployed. This would seem to support Ryan's contention that dropping-out is not a major problem either for students (although there are some financial penalties) or the system.

However, there are those who would argue that guidance provision at second level should be enhanced so more students make the right choice first time around.

In the institutes of technology, where many certificate and diploma courses have low cut-off points, students may simply find the course too difficult.

In a survey of first-year students in Carlow, Tralee and Dundalk ITs, that found a non-completion rate of 37 per cent across the three colleges, more than two-fifths of students who did not complete first year said that their courses were the only ones open to them, given their points ratings.

Ryan says colleges have a responsibility to make sure their promotional material is accurate but, otherwise, can't be held responsible for students choosing the wrong course.

Dr Caroline Hussey, registrar at UCD, says students can often feel let down by the first year of a course. Where engineering students expected to play with a spanner, they find instead that they have to study the basic sciences.

This is clearly outlined in college literature, she says, but acknowledges that colleges may also need to review first-year content to make it more student-friendly.

In the main, she says she agrees with Ryan's views that zero dropout is undesirable. "Probably, 5 per cent who don't complete third level at all and 10 per cent of people who don't complete a particular course would be acceptable," she says.

Many colleges are putting mentoring systems in place, but these are very labour intensive, and very costly, she says.

"It's a question of whether the State can afford a nanny system. There is something to be said for supporting first-years, in the transition from second-level, but they must be introduced, at some stage, to independent living and learning."

UCD, which has notoriously large classes, is in the process of setting up a learning centre, which will concentrate on the needs of first years.

Dr Margaret Kelleher, an English lecturer at NUI Maynooth, which, in addition to high dropout rates has high rates of mature student participation, suggests students who leave before graduation may, in fact, be making a healthy choice, based on life issues and economic needs. These students need flexible entry and exit points so that their years in college are seen as a success rather than a failure.

Crude measures such as overall dropout rates fail to take into account the mixture of students in a particular college or course. Colleges that make the greatest effort and take the greatest risks, encouraging non-standard applicants, are more likely to see students leaving the system early.

Kelleher says "a system should be created that would credit them with that experience and allow them to bank it for future use. Ireland is lagging behind many other countries in this regard."