Attrition data by equity target group 2013-2014

Attrition rates provide a measure of the proportion of students who 'drop out' of [Queensland University of Technology] QUT each year. Attrition rates are one of a range of indicators used to measure performance at QUT. As such they should be viewed in conjunction with other indicators such as access, participation and retention rates to obtain a full picture of performance. For policy and program development it is important to know if particular groups or categories of students are more inclined to drop out of higher education than others, and whether attrition is greater in particular faculties.

Attrition rates measure the proportion of students in a particular year (first year or cohort year) who leave the university and do not re-enrol the following year (the outcome year). For the purposes of this report [the authors] are measuring students who commenced in 2013 (cohort year) and whether or not they returned or did not reenrol in 2014. The attrition rate for all QUT students in 2013-2014 has lowered to 11.70 per cent from 13.04 per cent in 2012-2013. Attrition has been around 12-13 per cent in previous years, with a break in the trend in 2010-2011, where it was at its lowest (10.76 per cent). The university's objective is that students in equity groups have attrition rates comparable to other students. For example, Indigenous student attrition is at 17.27 per cent compared with 11.70 per cent for all QUT students and students with a disability have a rate of attrition at 14.14 per cent compared with the overall QUT figure of 11.70 per cent. Some equity target groups drop out at much higher levels in some faculties compared with others, indicating a need to develop additional mechanisms to support these particular cohorts within their disciplines.

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