Scotland’s uni drop-out rate highest in UK – We must tackle higher education challenges head on

Figures published today show that Scotland has the highest university drop-out rate in the United Kingdom.

Liz Smith, Scottish Conservative Education Spokesperson, said:

"These figures are worrying for Scotland, but they disprove the claim that a financial contribution to higher education forces a greater drop-out rate – other parts of the UK have fees and their continuation rate is greater. No party in Scotland wants upfront tuition fees and we strongly believe that we need more bursary support for students from the poorest backgrounds, to give them greater support whilst they are studying.

"We also believe that the higher education sector will only survive and thrive if we set in place a graduate contribution, repayable once the graduate attains a certain salary and at an affordable rate. We will be outlining our proposals, which will ensure even more bursary support is available, in full next week."

The drop-out rate at universities across the UK in 2009/10 is as follows:

UK: 7.9%
England: 7.8%
Wales: 7.4%
Scotland: 9.3%
N. Ireland: 9.0%

Back to all posts