§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what reports he has received about the drop-out rate of students from higher education in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. FormanDetails of non-completion of higher education courses can be found in "University Mangement Statistics and Performance Indicators in the UK", published last year by the Committee of 339W Vice-Chancellors and Principals and the Universities Funding Council, and "Leaving Rates among First Year Students in English Polytechnics and Colleges", a Department for Education statistical bulletin published earlier this month. The Library has copies of both reports.
The available evidence suggests that completion rates hayed remained relatively stable during the 1980s. No particular trend has emerged. International comparisons indicate that the United Kingdom has one of the highest ratios of qualifiers to new entrants in Europe.