Social work, hospitality and tourism among uni subjects caught up in student drop out exodus

Victorian university students are spending thousands of dollars on degrees they never complete. These are the courses they’re most likely to bail out of.

University students are dropping out of some subjects at substantial rates, leaving a portion burdened with HECS-HELP loans and no qualification.

Victorian university students are accumulating debt for degrees they never complete, with new figures revealing one in three fail to graduate. 

A Sunday Herald Sun analysis of the latest national Department of Education university completion rate data for domestic students has revealed the courses students are dropping at substantial rates, leaving a portion burdened with HECS-HELP loans and no qualification.

Social work and tourism and hospitality students were among the worst offenders, with more than half the cohort dropping out of their degree between 2018 and 2023. 

Despite incentives, education degrees had the third-lowest completion rate, with two in five students dropping out. 

Social work, tourism and hospitality courses had the highest dropout rates.

Other courses which saw more than 40 per cent of students withdraw included computing and information technology, psychology, and humanities.

Conversely, medicine degrees had the highest completion rate with only one in 10 students dropping out, followed by dentistry, rehabilitation and pharmacy.

Monash University higher education expert Professor Andrew Norton said the two biggest risk factors which could lead to drop outs were weaker academic preparation and part-time study. 

“In the period when the 2018 commencers were studying, we have seen increasing rates of part-time study for continuing students, more students working, and the students who are working spending more time at work,” he said.

“I think this is likely to be a key reason why we’ve seen some worsening attrition rates in recent years (and) is reasonably consistent with the subjective reasons given such as stress, financial difficulties, study workload or employment.”

While it’s not known how much money today’s students lose when dropping out due to a lack of specific data, Professor Norton said the latest Grattan Institute research on the issue found most students who didn’t complete their course would pay or borrow less than $10,000. 

“We found most people who dropped out had modest debts but there were some with more significant debts,” he said. 

He added a significant portion of dropouts occurred in the first year, resulting in lower debt burdens for those students.

As for the overall completion rate for each Victorian tertiary institution, the University of Melbourne had the highest completion rate with 89.4 per cent of students who started a course in 2018 graduating within six years.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Gregor Kennedy said the institution provides “extensive academic, enrichment and wellbeing support to students”. 

“The University of Melbourne has a strong focus on student connection, belonging and wellbeing, and all students have access to a wide range of activities to supplement their studies,” he said. 

Meanwhile, Swinburne University of Technology had the highest drop out rate with 53.8 per cent of students not completing their course. 

A Swinburne University of Technology spokeswoman said the institution “absolutely recognised the need to find new and innovative ways” to support its students’ individual needs. 

“For some, that is the ‘traditional’ university experience of a three-year degree. For others, it is studying part time, over an extended period, while they continue working full-time and balancing the demands of life,” she said. 

The University of Melbourne had the best completion rates in the state. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Daniel Pockett

Swinburne University has launched its Education Innovation Exchange which is supporting its first-year refresh project, that works in partnership with schools to address retention and attrition challenges.

Overall, Professor Norton said universities have improved their focus on struggling students and sometimes factors driving attrition rates – such as competing demands on students’ time – were out of an institution’s control.

“We should also accept that attrition is not always bad if students change their interests or get a job that suits them,” he said. 

Originally published as Social work, hospitality and tourism among uni subjects caught up in student drop out exodus