{"id":105026,"date":"2019-10-31T12:04:35","date_gmt":"2019-10-31T11:04:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=105026"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:24:32","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:24:32","slug":"most-drop-outs-dont-actually-quit-in-their-first-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2019\/10\/31\/most-drop-outs-dont-actually-quit-in-their-first-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Most drop-outs don\u2019t actually quit in their first year"},"content":{"rendered":"

Quitting studying altogether? Thousands of students are a few years into their programme before they take this step. Drop-out rates in higher years are hardly lower than in the first year.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRonald van den Heerik<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Both at universities of applied sciences and universities, many students still stumble after their first year. This becomes clear from the latest figures about \u2018early leavers from education\u2019 that have been compiled at the request of the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n

In 2014, for example, 45,000 people started on a degree programme at a university. Of this intake, five percent (i.e. 2,250 students) quit studying within the year (see diagram). In other words: they didn\u2019t switch programmes, but dropped out of higher education altogether.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s only half the story. Further down the road, another 5,000 students threw in the towel \u2013 a significantly higher total than in the first year.<\/p>\n