Students’ early departure intentions and the mitigating role of support - A focus on attrition

Oct 15, 2026

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The paper examines students’ early departure intentions in Australian higher education and how support can reduce such intentions. Using results from a large-scale survey of undergraduate students, it identifies demographic, educational, and contextual factors associated with departure intent. It then evaluates student support’s mitigating role, showing strong correlation between effective support provision and retention, while highlighting gaps between support students use and the support they need. Concludes with research-driven recommendations to increase support and retention.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Supporting student retention - A focus on attrition

A preventative focus on support

Analysis scope: early departure intentions

Mitigating role of student support

Research-driven recommendations

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 Students’ early departure intentions and the mitigating role of support Hamish Coates University of Melbourne In many higher education systems around the world increasing retention is vital if institutions are to produce the number of graduates identified through government projections to meet industry needs. Taking Australia as an example, the analysis uses results from a large-scale survey of undergraduate students to review rates and rationales for students giving serious consideration to departing before graduation. Demographic, educational and contextual concomitants of departure intention are explored. From there, the analysis looks at the role played by student support in mitigating departure intentions, showing that effective provision and use of support is strongly correlated with retention. Yet there are major disjunctions between the support used by students and the support they need, disjunctions that evidence-based practice can do much to resolve. In closing, the paper makes research-driven suggestions about how institutions can increase student support and retention. Supporting student retention A focus on attrition Over the last few decades Australia has explicitly sought to expand higher education participation and outcomes so as to get more students into the system and keep them engaged in effective learning through to graduation. Mirroring developments in Europe (European Commission, 2013) and the US (Lumina Foundation, 2013), for several years the Australian government set attainment targets (40 per cent of 25 to 34 year olds having a bachelor degree or above by 2025) that were coupled with explicit policies to diversify the student mix, in particular by balancing the inclusion of people from disadvantaged backgrounds (raising participation to 20 per cent by 2020) (Australian Government, 2009) . A recent national review (Kemp & Norton, 2014) affirmed the warrant and implications of this expansion agenda; Australia’s mostrecent Budget (Australian Government, 2014a) foreshad- owed a suite of economic reforms intended to cement growth even further. With such expansion ambitions and a broadening student cohort comes increasing focus on student retention and the reduction of attrition. Student retention is vital to any increase in the quality, size or productivity of higher education. While various arguments can be mounted in favour of attrition, or at least to cast it as neutral – as do basic funding arrangements in Australia that fail to encourage retention or penalise dropout – in general attrition can be considered a ‘bad thing’(Tinto, 1993) . A range of adverse consequences flows for individuals, institutions and the broader economy from students leaving higher education before graduation (Norton, 2012;Adams, Banks, Davis & Dickson, 2010) . Compared with other countries,Australian higher education has relatively low attrition, though this should not be considered either success or grounds for complacency. Attrition rates for domestic first-year students in Australian 20 Students’early departure intentions and the mitigating role of support Hamish Coates vol. 56, no. 2, 2014 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 universities sit at around 13.5 per cent (Australian Government, 2014b). While a portion of these students may return to complete their study at a later time, a sizable number still fail to complete their degree. Internationally, around 30 per cent of undergraduate university students leave higher education and fail to complete their study (OECD, 2013) . Though Australian rates compare favourably with other systems, the costs of attrition remain real and serious for all concerned. Of course, attrition is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that incorporates a range of different movements, change rationales and destinations. Example transitions include cross-institutional mobility, dropout from highe

FAQs

What does the study investigate about students in Australia’s higher education system?

It analyzes undergraduate students’ serious consideration of departing before graduation, focusing on rates and reasons for early departure intentions.

Which factors are linked to students’ intention to leave early?

The analysis explores demographic, educational, and contextual correlates of departure intention, including expectations, preparation, and personal circumstances described in the literature.

How does student support influence retention in the study?

Effective provision and use of support are shown to be strongly correlated with retention, helping mitigate departure intentions.

What gap does the paper identify regarding support, and what does it recommend?

It finds disjunctions between the support students use and the support they need, and calls for evidence-based improvements in how institutions increase support and retention.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Aldword