15% of post-secondary students drop out in Canada

HAMILTON (CUP) — A recent study shows many students are dropping out of post-secondary institutes, and only a few are coming back.

Statistics Canada and Human Resources and Skills Department published the study, tracking the educational pathways of 22,000 young adults. The six-year study began in 1999, when the subjects were between 18 and 20.

The results show that 15 per cent of students who attended a post-secondary institution dropped out before completion, and those students who chose to leave their respective schools more closely resembled those who initially decided against post-secondary.

The largest proportions of students leaving school were from Quebec, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia; the lowest proportion came from Prince Edward Island.

The students were more likely to be male, married, and come from families with lower levels of education. They were also more likely to have had lower grades and less involvement in high school.

Most started to consider dropping out in their first year of study.

The most frequent reasons cited for leaving school were to travel, to change institutions or programs, to take a break, or to work.

Only 10 per cent of the students who dropped out cited financial strain as the cause.

The survey differentiated between people who dropped out of school and people who quit school. The former returned to some sort of studies, while the latter become completely divorced from the post-secondary world.

Liz Marsden left Brock University in St. Catherines, Ont., where she was studying recreation and leisure, and transferred to Georgian College to pursue a business program.

“There were two main reasons, the first being the program. Coming out of high school, I didn’t really know for sure what I wanted to do. Recreation and leisure sounded interesting, so I decided on that. After some time in the program, I realized it definitely wasn’t for me. The second reason was the class size. Maybe it’s because of a certain type of learning style I have, but I cannot learn in a class with hundreds of students and where the teacher doesn’t know my name,” she said.

“In college, class sizes are smaller, much smaller — around 30 students. You get more one-on-one time with the teacher and get more personalized education,” she added.

She says her time in university did not set her back a year, but aided her in achieving her college diploma more quickly.

“With my year's experience in university, I was able to put those credits towards my electives in the business program at Georgian College. I was able to fast-track through my program and obtained my business diploma in two years instead of three. I was able to secure a job right out of college thanks to the co-op program that was required through the program.”

The rate of students returning to post-secondary studies after dropping out is still quite high, depending on their reason for leaving.

For example, 68 per cent of students who left school to travel came back within two years, and 47 per cent who listed changing their school or program as their reason came back.

In comparison, 28 per cent of students who left school to work returned, as did 29 per cent of those who left university because their grades were too low. The survey did not specify whether the students returned to their original studies or new ones.