As well as attracting more students into higher education, the government wants more students to complete courses.
And each year, the funding councils publish details of how many students leave without achieving a degree.
The figures below are based on those not continuing after the year of entry, covering both young and mature students.
This excludes those students who have left to begin another course in higher education.
The "benchmark" figure in the right hand column is the target that the institution is expected to achieve.
These latest figures relate to the 2000-2001 academic year.
| Institution |
Drop-out rate |
Bench-mark |
| |
% |
% |
| RCN Institute |
32 |
11 |
| University of North London |
24 |
16 |
| School of Oriental and African Studies |
20 |
10 |
| University of East London |
19 |
15 |
| University College Northampton |
19 |
12 |
| Thames Valley University |
19 |
15 |
| Glasgow Caledonian University |
19 |
12 |
| University of Paisley |
19 |
14 |
| Bolton Institute of Higher Education |
18 |
15 |
| University of Central Lancashire |
18 |
15 |
| University of Wales, Lampeter |
17 |
13 |
| Dartington College of Arts |
16 |
11 |
| University of Greenwich |
16 |
14 |
| Liverpool Hope University College |
16 |
14 |
| South Bank University |
16 |
16 |
| Swansea Institute of Higher Education |
16 |
13 |
| University of Glamorgan |
15 |
14 |
| North East Wales Institute |
15 |
14 |
| University of Derby |
14 |
13 |
| London Guildhall University |
14 |
15 |
| University of Luton |
14 |
14 |
| Northern School of Contemporary Dance |
14 |
11 |
| University of Sunderland |
14 |
12 |
| University of Surrey Roehampton |
14 |
12 |
| Trinity College of Music |
14 |
9 |
| University of Westminster |
14 |
13 |
| University of Wolverhampton |
14 |
13 |
| Robert Gordon University |
14 |
11 |
| Trinity College Carmarthen |
14 |
13 |
| Bath Spa University College |
13 |
12 |
| Canterbury Christ Church Univ Coll |
13 |
11 |
| University of Huddersfield |
13 |
12 |
| University of Lincoln |
13 |
13 |
| Middlesex University |
13 |
14 |
| Southampton Institute |
13 |
13 |
| University of Abertay Dundee |
13 |
13 |
| Buckinghamshire Chilterns Univ Coll |
12 |
13 |
| Chester College of Higher Education |
12 |
10 |
| Kingston University |
12 |
12 |
| Manchester Metropolitan University |
12 |
12 |
| St Mary's College |
12 |
11 |
| University of Salford |
12 |
12 |
| Staffordshire University |
12 |
12 |
| University of Teesside |
12 |
13 |
| Northern College of Education |
12 |
11 |
| University of Wales College, Newport |
12 |
13 |
| Anglia Polytechnic University |
11 |
13 |
| Bretton Hall |
11 |
10 |
| University of Brighton |
11 |
12 |
| City University |
11 |
9 |
| Coventry University |
11 |
12 |
| De Montfort University |
11 |
11 |
| University of Gloucestershire |
11 |
12 |
| University of Hertfordshire |
11 |
12 |
| Leeds Metropolitan University |
11 |
12 |
| Liverpool John Moores University |
11 |
11 |
| Surrey Inst of Art & Design Univ Coll |
11 |
9 |
| University of the West of England |
11 |
11 |
| University College Worcester |
11 |
13 |
| University of Aberdeen |
11 |
9 |
| University of Dundee |
11 |
10 |
| University of Ulster |
11 |
10 |
| All UK Institutions |
10 |
|
| All English Institutions |
10 |
|
| Bournemouth University |
10 |
10 |
| University of Bradford |
10 |
9 |
| University of Central England |
10 |
12 |
| King Alfred's College, Winchester |
10 |
11 |
| University of Northumbria at Newcastle |
10 |
11 |
| Nottingham Trent University |
10 |
9 |
| University of Plymouth |
10 |
11 |
| Queen Mary, University of London |
10 |
8 |
| College of St Mark & St John |
10 |
12 |
| All Scottish Institutions |
10 |
|
| Edinburgh College of Art |
10 |
9 |
| Queen Margaret University College |
10 |
10 |
| University of Wales Institute, Cardiff |
10 |
10 |
| University of Essex |
9 |
9 |
| University of Kent at Canterbury |
9 |
8 |
| The London Institute |
9 |
11 |
| Oxford Brookes University |
9 |
11 |
| Sheffield Hallam University |
9 |
11 |
| University of Surrey |
9 |
8 |
| Trinity & All Saints |
9 |
9 |
| York St John College |
9 |
10 |
| University of Glasgow |
9 |
7 |
| University of Strathclyde |
9 |
8 |
| All Welsh Institutions |
9 |
|
| Brunel University |
8 |
10 |
| Central School of Speech and Drama |
8 |
10 |
| Cumbria Institute of the Arts |
8 |
12 |
| School of Pharmacy |
8 |
5 |
| University of Portsmouth |
8 |
10 |
| University of Reading |
8 |
7 |
| St Martin's College |
8 |
10 |
| University of Sussex |
8 |
8 |
| Glasgow School of Art |
8 |
10 |
| Heriot-Watt University |
8 |
9 |
| Napier University |
8 |
14 |
| University of Stirling |
8 |
10 |
| University of Wales, Bangor |
8 |
10 |
| All Northern Ireland Institutions |
8 |
|
| Goldsmiths College |
7 |
10 |
| Harper Adams University College |
7 |
9 |
| University of Hull |
7 |
9 |
| Kent Institute of Art & Design |
7 |
10 |
| Newman College of Higher Education |
7 |
11 |
| Ravensbourne College |
7 |
10 |
| Royal Academy of Music |
7 |
7 |
| Writtle College |
7 |
11 |
| Aston University, Birmingham |
6 |
7 |
| Cranfield University |
6 |
10 |
| University of East Anglia |
6 |
8 |
| University of Exeter |
6 |
6 |
| Falmouth College of Arts |
6 |
9 |
| Imperial College |
6 |
4 |
| King's College London |
6 |
5 |
| University of Leeds |
6 |
5 |
| University of Liverpool |
6 |
7 |
| University of Manchester |
6 |
6 |
| UMIST |
6 |
7 |
| Rose Bruford College |
6 |
9 |
| Royal Holloway, University of London |
6 |
7 |
| University of Edinburgh |
6 |
6 |
| University of Wales, Swansea |
6 |
8 |
| The Queen's University of Belfast |
6 |
6 |
| University of Birmingham |
5 |
6 |
| Bishop Grosseteste College |
5 |
9 |
| University College Chichester |
5 |
12 |
| University of Durham |
5 |
5 |
| Lancaster University |
5 |
6 |
| University of Newcastle upon Tyne |
5 |
6 |
| Norwich School of Art & Design |
5 |
10 |
| University of Southampton |
5 |
6 |
| University College London |
5 |
5 |
| Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama |
5 |
9 |
| Cardiff University |
5 |
6 |
| University of Bath |
4 |
5 |
| University of Bristol |
4 |
4 |
| Keele University |
4 |
7 |
| University of Leicester |
4 |
6 |
| Loughborough University |
4 |
7 |
| Royal College of Music |
4 |
9 |
| Royal Northern College of Music |
4 |
9 |
| University of York |
4 |
5 |
| University of Wales, Aberystwyth |
4 |
8 |
| University of Nottingham |
3 |
4 |
| University of Warwick |
3 |
4 |
| Wimbledon School of Art |
3 |
8 |
| University of Wales Coll of Medicine |
3 |
5 |
| Homerton College, Cambridge |
2 |
6 |
| University of London |
2 |
6 |
| London Sch of Economics & Pol Sci |
2 |
3 |
| St George's Hospital Medical School |
2 |
3 |
| University of Sheffield |
2 |
5 |
| University of St Andrews |
2 |
6 |
| St Mary's University College |
2 |
6 |
| Stranmillis University College |
2 |
9 |
| University of Cambridge |
1 |
3 |
| University of Oxford |
1 |
3 |
| Royal Veterinary College |
1 |
2 |
| Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama |
1 |
9 |