student mental health

Almost 25% of students who enrol in university leave without completing a degree

“Of the students who first started a bachelor degree in Australia in 2013, 24.6 per cent left without completing a degree in the following nine years. Of the others, 4.8 per cent were still enrolled, and the remaining 70.5 per cent had completed a degree (not necessarily the one they started)” – Norton, A. 2023 Mapping Australian Higher Education.

In 2022, 19% of all undergraduate students were thinking about leaving. The most prominent reason was health or stress.

“Undergraduate students considering early departure from higher education by citizenship – All 19%, Domestic 20%, International 14%” ; “Reasons for considering early departure from current institution as given by undergraduate students who considered leaving (2021) % – Health or stress 50%” – QILT Student Experience Survey 2022.

More than 1 in 2 students don’t feel a sense of belonging at their university

“The Learner Engagement focus area relates to students’ experiences interacting with their peers in and outside of study requirements, as well as their sense of belonging to their institution. Had a sense of belonging to your institution – 46.5%. Worked with other students as part of your study – 60.6%. Interacted with students outside study requirements – 35%” – QILT Student Experience Survey 2022.

We need to do better by our young people. They enter university with all their hopes and dreams, and years of effort behind them. These students are our future, and these figures show that many are struggling at university.

Photo by Štefan Štefančík on Unsplash

Norton, A. (2023). Mapping Australian Higher Education. ANU Centre for Social Research and Methods. https://csrm.cass.anu.edu.au/research/publications/mapping-australian-higher-education-2023
Quality Indicators for Teaching and Learning (QILT). (2023). 2022 Student Experience Survey: The Higher Education Student Experience. https://www.qilt.edu.au/surveys/student-experience-survey-(ses)