Ninth Level Ireland

“An ‘open the gates’ approach to third-level entry was considered as an alternative to this summer’s Leaving Cert, but the suggestion was dismissed over concerns it would lead to ‘significant’ drop-outs. Matriculation exams and SAT admissions tests were also considered as alternative routes to third level this year …” (more)

[Jess Casey, Irish Examiner, 4 June]

“Sir, – Dr Mark Ryan (Letters, April 8th) criticises Prof Áine Hyland for her suggestion that the Leaving Cert should continue to be the basis for entry to third level. Dr Ryan suggests that the high drop- out rate in first year indicates that using Leaving Cert results must be flawed. It is widely accepted that this is not so …” (more)

[John Mc Avoy, Irish Times, 13 April]

“Sir, – I must disagree with the head of examinations and assessment in the State Examination Committee, Tim Desmond, in recommending that ‘the CAO system changes significantly, to move the pressure point from the end of senior cycle to the end of first year in third-level institutions’ …” (more)

[Marion Dunne, Irish Times, 28 October]

“The University Observer has learned that 484 full time students studying Arts left their courses between 2015 and 2017, the highest number across all University College Dublin (UCD) programmes. The figure, which represents 55.8% of all course leavers in the university, includes students in dual honours Arts degree programmes across a wide variety of subjects …” (more)

[Brían Donnelly, University Observer, 17 April]

“The recent Higher Education Authority analysis of completion rates offers many grounds for congratulation among undergraduate students: overall the figures compare well with international benchmarks. But they raise some important issues, especially given relatively higher dropout rates in institutes of technology and in IT courses …” (more)

[Ellen Hazelkorn and Tom Boland, Irish Times, 19 February]

“Sir, – Third-level institutions must take some responsibility for the high drop-out rate at college level. Does the Higher Education Authority monitor the quality of lecturing, the lecture content and the exam processes of these institutions? …” (more)

[Kathleen Barton, Irish Times, 19 February]

“Sir, – The detailed report published on February 14th by the Higher Education Authority on completion rates in higher education is welcome as the numbers entering the sector continue to grow (‘Some third-level computing courses have 80% drop-out rate’, News, February 14th) …” (more)

[Lucy Hearne, Irish Times, 18 February]

“The HEA have produced a major study on An Analysis of Completion in Irish Higher Education: 2007/08 Entrants, which makes for interesting reading. As with many HEA reports there is a lot of detail and mountains of data (this report is 220 pages long!). It does not include the National College of Ireland nor the likes of the Dublin Business School which is a big pity and a major omission in my view …” (more)

[Careful With That Axe, Eugene, 14 February]

“The Technological Higher Education Association (THEA) very much welcomes this first extended completion analysis across the entire higher education sector. We compliment the HEA for engaging in such a longitudinal study and for the attendant analysis. As a sector, we have been examining progression and successful completion in this manner for the best part of a decade …” (more)

[THEA, 13 February]

“Major Study of Higher Education Completion Rates Finds that Leaving Certificate Performance is Strongest Predictor of Completion. The Higher Education Authority today published a study on the rates of completion of 34,059 students who entered Irish Universities, Institutes and Colleges full time at undergraduate level in the 2007/8 academic year …” (more, download)

[Maura O’Shea, HEA, 14 February]

“A majority of students are dropping out of third-level computing and engineering courses with low CAO entry points, official figures show. These high non-completion rates are a source of ‘huge concern’ to education authorities, according to a major new study. The findings are contained in a study by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) which has tracked a cohort of more than 34,000 students who started third-level courses in 2007/08 over a 10-year period …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 14 February]

“Students with higher Leaving grades and CAO points are significantly more likely to complete higher education than those with lower grades, according to a new report from the Higher Education Authority. The study, which tracked 34,059 full-time undergraduate students who entered Irish universities, institutes of technology and colleges in 2007 across ten years, found that the lowest completion rates were in computing courses, where 45% of students dropped out …” (more)

[Peter McGuire, Irish Examiner, 14 February]

“Technology and computing courses are proving to be the hardest to complete in college, a major new study has found. The report from the Higher Education Authority (HEA) also found that females had significantly higher completion of third-level courses than males. And first year is key – with almost two thirds of those who don’t graduate dropping out at that stage …” (more)

[Katherine Donnelly, Independent, 14 February]

“Are we setting the bar too low for entry into some of our higher education courses? It’s a question begged by the findings of a major study by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) into the volume of students who are failing to complete third-level courses. The good news is that, overall, most students (76%) are completing their courses in higher education. …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 14 February]

“About one in six third-level students – or almost 6,000 a year – don’t get beyond the first year of their college course, according to a recent Higher Education Authority study. The type of student most likely to drop out is male, with relatively low Leaving Cert points, and studying for a higher certificate or ordinary degree in computer science, construction or engineering at an institute of technology …” (more)

[Owen Ross, Irish Times, 21 June]

“Almost one in five students from disadvantaged schools do not progress to third-level education beyond their first year, compared to just one in 10 students who went to fee-paying schools, a new study by the Higher Education Authority reveals. Some 19% of students from Deis – Delivering Equality of Opportunity – schools, and 14% of students attending standard schools do not return for a variety of reasons after the first year, according to a statistical analysis of new third-level entrants in the 2014/2015 academic year …” (more)

[Allison Bray and Fiona Dillon, Independent, 18 May]

“The fact that we send more students to third level than any other country in the EU is often seen as a badge of honour. The proportion of school-leavers going on to higher education ballooned from about 10% in the 1960s to well over 60% nowadays. Ireland now has the highest proportion of young people with third-level qualifications across the EU …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 18 May]

“Students from disadvantaged schools are almost twice as likely to fail to make it past their first year in college than those from fee-paying schools, a new study finds. In all, some 5,800 students – or 14% of all new entrants to third level – did not move on to their second year of their course …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 18 May]

“Students who have secured places at Trinity College Dublin through a new admissions route not based solely on CAO points have lower drop-out rates than regular students, according to new data. In 2014, Trinity introduced an alternate admissions route for some courses which measure applicants’ performances compared to others in their school …” (more)

[Carl O’Brien, Irish Times, 28 January]

“Mary Mitchell O’Connor, TD, Minister of State for Higher Education, today 2nd of November, 2017, launched an online resource to assist higher level institutions to create effective student retention strategies and to enhance student experiences …” (more)

[Teaching and Learning, 2 November]