Drop-out rate stays at 22%

The university drop-out rate has remained steady over the past five years, new figures have revealed.

Just over a fifth (22%) of undergraduates leave their degree courses each year, despite Government attempts to change the trend by ploughing £800m into tackling the issue.

A report from a committee of MPs has showed that there has been little change in the problem since 2002, although the number of university applications is increasing.

UCAS recently discovered there has been a 7% increase this year in the number of students applying to universities.

Edward Leigh MP, Chair of the committee, stated that universities are growing and need to be better prepared for the increasing amount of students they cater for.

'Universities must get better at providing the kind of teaching and support services that students from under-represented groups need,' he said.

Mental-health problems and money worries were reasons found by the study to be a factor in why a number of undergraduates dropped out of university.