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Many of these admissions do not appear to be the result of a holistic consideration of student capabilities .
‘ Scandalously low ’
Universities accept students likely to drop out in order to make money .
By Natasha Bita
Universities ’ “ naked desire ’’ to make money will result in 20,000 of this year ’ s school-leavers dropping out of degrees they were always destined to fail , a new report reveals .
The Centre for Independent Studies ( CIS ) warns that low academic entry standards are “ wasting time and money ’’ for students left with debts when they drop out of degrees they find too difficult .
It calls for universities to return some taxpayer funding for every student who fails to finish a degree .
The CIS analysis of federal Education Department data shows “ scandalously low ’’ completion rates at many of the nation ’ s 43 universities .
“ With each year , more students are failing to finish their degree on time , or dropping out of university entirely ,’’ the report says .
“ Students not completing their study is not only an inefficient use of taxpayers ’ resources … but a waste of time and money for those students themselves – who incur the cost of debt for classes taken but without the benefit of a qualification .’’
The CIS report , by data scientist Rob Joseph , shows that the University of Southern Queensland has the lowest completion rate of any university , with just 43 per cent of students finishing their degree within six years and 39 per cent dropping out .
The University of New England , Charles Darwin University and Southern Cross University have six-year completion rates below 50 per cent .
The highest rates are 90 per cent at the University of Melbourne , 86 per cent at the University of Western Australia , and 86 per cent at Bond University , where students pay full fees .
In medicine , dentistry and physiotherapy – degrees requiring near-perfect marks at high school – fewer than 5 per cent of students quit their studies .
But one in three students drop out of degrees in early childhood teacher education , social work , tourism , or sport and recreation .
Mr Joseph has calculated that students who enter university with a low Australian Tertiary Admission Rank ( ATAR ) are three times more likely to drop out than students with high ATARs .
Among students with an ATAR above 95 , only 4 per cent dropped out of uni – compared to roughly one in three students with an ATAR below the average of 70 .
The CIS blames universities for enrolling too many school-leavers who struggled at school and have a 50 per cent chance of dropping out .
The average ATAR is 70 , yet universities are offering places to 55 per cent of applicants with an ATAR below 50 , and to 81 per cent of those with an ATAR between 50 and 60 .
The CIS report shows that a quarter of school-leavers are being admitted to university without an ATAR – including those enrolled for excellence in sport or the performing arts , or on “ equity ’’ grounds due to poverty , disadvantage or other disadvantage .
They are twice as likely as ATAR-entry students to drop out in their first year .
“ While these admission practices may have led to more young people obtaining a degree , they have also led to more schoolleavers wasting time and debt without a degree to show for it ,’’ the CIS report says . “ The goal is to help more students finish a degree , not just start one .’’
The CIS demands that universities set more rigorous academic entry standards , and provide extra support for students enrolled on equity grounds .
It says many students with low or no ATARs would be better off going to TAFE , finding an apprenticeship or getting a job straight from school .
“ Given the scandalously low completion rates and high attrition for non-ATARbased admissions , universities should be increasing their use of ATAR in admissions , not reducing it ,’’ the report says .
“ Many of these admissions do not appear to be the result of a holistic consideration of student capabilities , but rather a naked desire for more fees revenue that ignores what is best for the students .’’. ■
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