Uni drop out rates increase

The Federal Government has released new data from the Completion Rates of Higher Education Students - Cohort Analysis, 2005-2014 report, showing university student completion rates have dipped slightly.

Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said he encouraged the thousands of prospective uni students being made offers this year to "make the right choice, first time” about which universities and courses would help them pursue their dreams.

“Around one in three Australian uni students don’t complete their studies within six years and a key way to boost those numbers is for students to know exactly what they’re signing up for,” Birmingham said.

“We’ve heard too many stories about students who have changed courses, dropped out because they made the wrong choices about what to study, students who didn’t realise there were other entry pathways or who started a course with next to no idea of what they were signing themselves up for.

“To the thousands of students anxiously checking emails, text messages, newspapers and mail boxes this week to learn what your future study options might be, I urge you to take your time to understand those options.

“Students should be looking for feedback on the reputation of the university they want to attend, how well-known they are for particular courses, how satisfied current students are with the resources and teachers on offer and the employment outcomes of graduates from those universities and courses," Birmingham said.

The Turnbull government has committed additional funding to the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) website, which details all those helpful indicators about university performance.