Julia Hinde THES, London

Dropout rates for medical students in Australia could be as high as one in five, while across all disciplines up to one in three Australian students leave before completing a degree, a new
survey reveals.

The study, by the Australian Department of Education, Training, and Youth Affairs, followed 129 000 domestic students who embarked on undergraduate courses in 1992. Six years on, just 60% had completed a degree, 6% had not yet gained an award but were still studying at the same institution, and 34% had not completed a degree and were not studying at the institution of enrolment. They had dropped out, had moved elsewhere, or were taking a break.

The high dropout rates have caused considerable concern in the university sector, though the authors of the study now suggest that if transfers to other universities are considered, as well as the fact that some students may return later, completion rates could be closer to 80%.

Veterinary, health, nursing, and education students topped the tables for completions, leading the survey’s authors to suggest that the vocational nature of these courses helps to foster student motivation. More than 90% of veterinary students completed their studies in the six year period, compared with 75% of health students—which includes doctors and health therapists and just over 70% of nurses. This contrasts with around 55% of business, arts, science, and agriculture students. The survey also found that women were more likely to complete degrees than men; completion rates declined with age; and full-time students were more likely to graduate than part-timers or external students.

Recent changes to medical courses at some Australian universities are likely to affect dropout rates and may further increase the difference in completion rates between medicine and other subjects. Over the past four years, a number of universities have changed their medical degrees to graduate entry only—a model that will be introduced in the United Kingdom from September. Flinders University in Adelaide now only takes graduates, who study for four years as opposed to the previous six.

According to Tony Edwards, the first year coordinator at Flinders University Medical School, dropout rates have fallen. With the six year course, about 10% of students left for motivational reasons, while up to another 10% left for academic reasons.

“It’s early days,” explains Dr Edwards, “But I think it’s true to say that dropouts for motivational reasons have dropped to almost zero with the new course. Students have jumped major hurdles to get here and they are not doing this lightly.”

However, dropouts have increased for external reasons. “Now we are taking older students,” says Dr Edwards. “Many of them have family responsibilities and mortgages. Some find it impossible to keep a decent family life. This is emerging as a new problem, but overall the dropout rate is lower than before.”