Improving student retention in higher education - Vol 51 - Issue 2 - 2009

Oct 15, 2026

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Improving student retention in higher education examines retention as a quality assurance concern and emphasizes quality improvement through teaching and learning. It analyzes how student engagement can be strengthened in higher education programmes, especially given pressures from widening participation and accountability requirements. The discussion outlines definitions of retention and continuation/ completion measures across Australia and the UK, then maps withdrawal drivers including academic experience, social integration, fit, finances, and personal circumstances, highlighting the challenge of single-cause explanations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Retention as a quality assurance and performance indicator

Australian definitions and equity performance

UK completion and continuation measures

A U S T R A L I A N U N I V E R S I T I E S ’ R E V I E W Improving student retention in higher education Improving Teaching and Learning Glenda Crosling, Margaret Heagney Monash University Liz Thomas Edge Hill University, UK As a key performance indicator in university quality assurance processes, the retention of students in their studies is an issue of concern world-wide. Implicit in the process of quality assurance is quality improvement. In this article, we examine student retention from a teaching and learning perspective, in terms of teaching and learning approaches that have an impact on students’ decisions to continue with or withdraw from their studies. The major need is to engage students in their studies, and in this article we discuss ways that student engagement can be facilitated through the teaching and learning programme in higher education currently. Introduction An issue of concern in higher education institutions across the world is the retention and success of studentsin their studies.This is a particularly pressing issue in the context of widening participation for under-represented student groups, increasing student diversity and educational quality assurance and accountability processes. As well as the personal impact and loss of life chances for students, non-completion has financial implications for students (and their families), and for society and the economy through the loss of potential skills and knowledge.There are also financial and reputational implications for higher education institutions. While students who do not complete may still benefit from skills developed, including increased confidence and life experiences (Quinn et al., 2005), in the current competitive and globalised higher education market, the reputational fall-out of low student retention and high student attrition figures can be damaging for institutions (Yorke and Longden, 2004) . The importance of student retention in Australia is underscored by its inclusion via institutional statistics as a key performance indicator in educational quality and in the allocation of the Commonwealth Government’s Learning and Teaching Performance Fund. Student attrition and retention rates are defined as ‘... the percentage of students in a particular year who neither graduate nor continue studying in an award course atthe same institution in the following year’(Department of Education, Science and Training, 2005) . Retention statistics are also used to measure institutions’ equity vol. 51, no. 2, 2009 Improving student retention in higher education, Crosling et al. 9 A U S T R A L I A N U N I V E R S I T I E S ’ R E V I E W performance which in turn determines their funding from the Higher Education Equity Support Program. In the UK there are two measures of retention, which are similarly narrow, and these are translated into institutional performance indicators: ‘The first is the ‘completion rate’ – the proportion of starters in a year who continue their studies until they obtain their qualification, with no more than one consecutive year out of higher education. As higher education courses take years to complete, an expected completion rate is calculated by the Higher Education Statistics Agency… A more immediate measure of retention is the proportion of an institution’s intake which is enrolled in higher education in the year following their first entry to higher education. This is the ‘continuation rate’(National Audit Office, 2007, p. 5) . In the UK, these indicators are contextualised by a‘benchmark’for each institution, which takes account of students’ entry qualifications and subjects studied, and thus suggests what the completion and continuation rates ought to be. These factors are also used to allocate funding to support the retention of students in higher education via the core grant. Students may not continue with their studies for a variety of factors. Research exploring the reasons for student wi

FAQs

How is student retention used in university quality assurance processes?

Student retention is treated as a key performance indicator in quality assurance, linked to quality improvement and performance reporting requirements.

How do Australia and the UK define retention-related measures?

Australia uses institutional statistics to define attrition and retention rates, while the UK uses completion and continuation rates as narrower indicators translated into performance measures.

What categories of reasons are associated with student withdrawal?

Research synthesis identifies multiple inter-related categories, including poor preparation, weak institutional/course match, unsatisfactory academic experience, lack of social integration, financial issues, and personal circumstances.

Oct 15, 2026

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