news
Qld schools struggle
to keep students
Four Sunshine state universities earn one-star retention rating. By Antonia Maiolo
Queensland’ s universities have the highest dropout rates in the country, a new survey has revealed.
Griffith University, James Cook University, the University of the Sunshine Coast and the University of Southern Queensland each received one star in The Good Universities Guide 2014 student retention ratings, placing them in the bottom 20 per cent of Australian universities in that category.
Central Queensland University and Queensland University of Technology scored two stars, whilst the University of Queensland received three stars.
Just three other institutions received one star – Victoria University, Charles Darwin University and University of New England.
USC vice-chancellor professor Greg Hill suggested that retention rates are generally lower in smaller regional universities for a number of reasons, including the greater financial pressures on regional students, the longer distances they need to travel and the higher proportion of mature-aged students.
Hill also said there was a“ stepping stone” factor at USC, meaning that about a quarter of students who leave go on to study at other universities.
“ Many of these students do one year here at home on the Sunshine Coast and then go elsewhere to do a course that we may not offer,” he said.“ This is an important community service.”
Vice-chancellor professor Jan Thomas from the University of Southern Queensland, which received a five-star socioeconomic equity rating, said many
6 | Issue 9 2013 of the university’ s students come from low socioeconomic regions and are the first in their family to attend university.
“ Universities in regional areas often need greater emphasis on supporting students, as they often have backgrounds of low aspiration and educational disadvantage or extended periods away from education,” Thomas said.
She said USQ had in place targeted support programs for at-risk students that provide ongoing assistance, counselling and peer-to-peer mentoring.
Not every regional institution struggled with retention. NSW’ s Charles Sturt University, the University of Newcastle and the University of Wollongong all scored a five-star retention rating.
Wollongong’ s acting vice-chancellor, professor John Patterson, attributes the university’ s strong retention ratings to its development of peer-to-peer support programs, its ability to target students at risk and its range of support services, including several that focus on the first-year experience.
“ UOW views its good retention rating as a reflection of overall student engagement and experience, appropriate support for the cohort of commencing students, and a close alignment between the degree as described to the student when they are making their decision and the reality as delivered,” Patterson said.
UNSW vice-chancellor professor Fred Hilmer attributed his university’ s four-star retention rating to pathway programs and support services.
“ Our peer mentoring programs have proved to be very effective, as has our recently introduced early intervention initiative, which involves support officers targeting and helping students who may benefit from additional assistance,” Hilmer said.
He also stressed the importance of providing disadvantaged students with the tools to succeed at university as well as opportunities for admission.
“ In particular, any endeavour to expand opportunity for disadvantaged students must take into account not just access to university, but the prospects for success,” Hilmer said. n