Mature Students: Student Wastage

To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many mature students withdrew from their higher education course in each year since 2003; and for what reasons they withdrew. (152284)

The Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), include an indicator showing the proportion of UK-domiciled mature (aged 21 and over) entrants to full-time first degree courses at higher education institutions in England, who did not continue into higher education after their first year. A similar indicator is available for mature entrants to full-time other undergraduate courses. The available information is shown in the table.

Proportion of UK-domiciled mature (aged 21 and over) entrants to full-time higher education courses at higher education institutions in England, who did not continue into higher education after their first year
	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05
First degree	15.1	15.4	14.0
Other undergraduate courses	14.5	14.3	14.8
Source: “Performance Indicators in Higher Education”, published by HESA

The specific reasons for these groups of students withdrawing from their courses are not given.

Volume 463: debated on Monday 3 September 2007