University drop-out rates

On average, 16% of UK students drop out

The table below shows universities in the UK ranked by their projected drop-out rates.

This shows the proportion of students which the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) expects, based on historical data, neither to complete their course nor to transfer to another institution.

The column of figures to the right of the drop-out rate is the benchmark set for each institution.

It shows what the average drop-out rate for higher education as a whole would be if all institutions had students with the same academic qualifications as this university and offered the same mix of subjects.

Hefce says an institution which has a drop-out rate above its benchmark is doing less well than it should.

The first two columns show the projected likelihood of students expected to be awarded a degree, and the associated benchmark.

All the figures relate to full-time students starting first degree courses in 1998-99.

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Table of state school participation

Institution	Degree	Bench-mark	Drop-out	Bench-mark
University of North London	48	67	41	25
Thames Valley University	56	75	33	19
South Bank University	55	67	33	25
Bolton Institute of Higher Education	61	68	31	23
Dartington College of Arts	63	76	30	18
University of Paisley	64	78	29	16
University of London (Institutes and activities)	8	81	28	13
University of Glamorgan	60	68	28	23
London Guildhall University	62	67	28	24
Glasgow Caledonian University	66	77	27	16
University of Derby	69	72	27	20
De Montfort University	67	69	26	22
Middlesex University	63	69	26	23
University of East London	68	68	26	24
Northern College of Education	67	76	25	18
University of Huddersfield	69	72	25	20
Anglia Polytechnic University	68	73	25	20
University of Wales College, Newport	70	72	25	21
University of Greenwich	67	70	25	22
Kent Institute of Art & Design	73	78	24	17
Northern School of Contemporary Dance	64	78	24	17
University of Abertay Dundee	60	76	24	17
University of Sunderland	70	72	24	20
Robert Gordon University	69	77	23	16
Swansea Institute of Higher Education	72	74	23	19
University College Northampton	70	71	23	20
North East Wales Institute	71	70	23	22
University of Salford	71	73	22	19
Southampton Institute	67	72	22	20
University of Hertfordshire	70	71	22	21
Coventry University	69	71	22	21
University of Westminster	64	68	22	23
University of Teesside	73	72	21	20
University of Wolverhampton	68	73	21	20
Royal Northern College of Music	67	77	20	17
University of Central England in Birmingham	71	73	20	19
Liverpool Hope	75	70	20	22
University of Gloucestershire	76	75	19	18
Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College	74	74	19	19
Liverpool John Moores University	74	74	19	19
University of Surrey Roehampton	76	72	19	20
University of Brighton	72	73	19	20
School of Oriental and African Studies	74	72	19	21
University of Strathclyde	75	81	18	13
St Mary's College	77	75	18	17
Trinity College of Music	78	75	18	18
University of West of England, Bristol	77	73	18	19
Manchester Metropolitan University	73	72	18	20
City University	72	71	18	20
Kingston University	67	71	18	20
Leeds Metropolitan University	77	71	18	21
University of Lincoln	77	71	18	21
The Surrey Inst of Art & Design Univ Col	78	78	17	17
Oxford Brookes University	73	74	17	18
University of Luton	64	70	17	22
All English institutions	77		16
All UK Institutions	77		16
All Scottish Institutions	75		16
University of Aberdeen	76	78	16	15
Nottingham Trent University	78	76	16	17
Brunel University	76	75	16	17
Goldsmiths College	76	76	16	17
University of Plymouth	78	75	16	18
Newman College	71	75	16	18
University of Essex	78	78	15	15
Heriot-Watt University	76	78	15	15
University of Bradford	80	77	15	16
University of Wales Institute, Cardiff	78	77	15	17
Westminster College, Oxford	75	75	15	17
The London Institute	81	76	15	18
Bournemouth University	79	75	15	18
Falmouth College of Arts	81	75	15	19
Bath Spa University College	80	74	15	19
Edge Hill College of Higher Education	80	73	15	19
Sheffield Hallam University	77	74	15	19
All Welsh Institutions	78		14
University of Dundee	79	79	14	14
University of Sussex	80	79	14	15
University of Glasgow	79	78	14	15
Edinburgh College of Art	79	77	14	17
University of Northumbria at Newcastle	79	75	14	17
Chester College of Higher Education	78	75	14	17
Canterbury Christ Church University College	80	74	14	19
Cranfield University	83	72	14	20
Cumbria College of Art & Design	83	74	14	20
North Riding College	81	72	14	20
University of Portsmouth	79	71	14	20
Aston University	78	83	13	11
Queen Mary, University of London	80	80	13	13
Queen Margaret University College	79	78	13	15
RCN Institute	77	78	13	16
King Alfred's College, Winchester	83	76	13	17
University of Ulster	84	74	13	18
All Northern Ireland Institutions	NA		NA
The Queen's University of Belfast	NA		NA
Bretton Hall	81	76	13	18
University of Wales, Lampeter	82	73	13	20
UMIST	81	82	12	12
Keele University	84	81	12	13
University of Kent at Canterbury	83	80	12	13
University of Stirling	80	78	12	15
University of Wales, Bangor	82	77	12	16
Ravensbourne College	85	76	12	18
University of Reading	84	83	11	11
Harper Adams University College	89	81	11	13
Trinity & All Saints	82	76	11	16
College of St Mark & St John	86	73	11	19
University College Chichester	82	74	11	19
University of Edinburgh	84	86	10	9
University of Liverpool	84	84	10	10
Loughborough University	85	81	10	12
University of Wales, Swansea	84	81	10	12
University of Surrey	82	81	10	13
Wye College, University of London	85	78	10	16
Norwich School of Art & Design	89	77	10	17
Rose Bruford College	84	77	10	17
University of Wales College of Medicine	83	90	9	6
King's College London	85	86	9	9
Royal Holloway, University of London	86	83	9	11
University of East Anglia	86	81	9	13
Central School of Speech and Drama	87	80	9	15
Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama	84	79	9	15
Writtle College	69	79	9	15
Napier University	68	74	9	19
University College Worcester	84	72	9	20
London Sch of Economics & Political Sci	90	90	8	6
University of Sheffield	89	87	8	8
University of Birmingham	85	86	8	8
University of Wales, Aberystwyth	89	81	8	13
Lancaster University	87	80	8	13
Bishop Grosseteste College	87	77	8	16
Glasgow School of Art	90	77	8	18
York St John College	88	74	8	19
University of Bristol	89	89	7	6
University of York	89	87	7	8
University College London	88	87	7	8
University of Leeds	88	85	7	9
University of Newcastle	87	85	7	9
University of Exeter	90	85	7	10
University of Southampton	89	83	7	11
Welsh College of Music and Drama	86	78	7	16
St Martin's College	86	75	7	17
Imperial College	87	91	6	5
University of Manchester	89	86	6	8
University of Bath	91	86	6	9
University of Leicester	88	85	6	9
Cardiff University	84	85	6	10
Trinity College Carmarthen	90	69	6	23
University of Durham	91	88	5	8
University of Warwick	91	87	5	8
University of Hull	89	81	5	12
St George's Hospital Medical School	88	90	4	3
School of Pharmacy	80	88	4	7
University of St Andrews	91	84	4	10
Homerton College, Cambridge	87	78	4	12
Royal College of Music	90	81	4	13
Wimbledon School of Art	95	80	4	16
Royal Veterinary College	88	90	3	3
University of Nottingham	94	89	3	6
Royal Academy of Music	92	77	3	17
University of Oxford	96	94	2	3
University of Cambridge	98	94	1	3