§ Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the drop-out rate for universities in London was by(a) percentage and (b) number in each year since 1997. [138665]
§ Alan JohnsonThe available information on non continuation rates is contained in "Performance Indicators in Higher Education", published by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). The figures cover full-time first degree courses only, and show, for each individual HE institution in the UK, the numbers and proportion of entrants who failed to complete their course. Copies of the HEFCE publication are available for students starting courses in 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99 and 1999–00 in the House Library. The next edition, covering students starting courses in 2000–01, is scheduled for publication in autumn 2003.