What Causes Students to Drop Out of University

According to figures published by The Independent newspaper of UK published in 2007, there are more than 100,000 students that are likely to drop out of their chosen degree courses after finishing their first year. Students taking up Mathematics, Science and Engineering programmes are the most likely to drop out, while students studying Medicine are the least likely to drop out of their course and go on towards finishing their studies. Over-all, about a quarter of all students in the UK (the exact percentage is begged at 22.4 per cent) do not go on to graduate from their chosen courses. So what causes students to start university studies only to abandon it? Below are the most likely reasons:

·    Students forego school so they can start a career immediately. While there are notable college drop outs such as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs who made it big even without a university diploma, statistically this is more of the exception rather than the rule. For one, you are less likely to get a good position anywhere without strong qualifications, most notable of all are good university grades. This is especially important in the current economic climate where jobs are being fought over extensively and employers are asking more while being able to afford less. Besides, unless you have an exceptional knowledge in your subject area, how can you do your job effectively if you weren't properly trained by learned men such as professors and academics in a setting conducive to learning?
·    Students have insufficient funds to continue with their studies. Still an effect of the current global economic downturn, more students are being forced to drop out because they or their parents can ill afford to support their university education, which can be rather expensive especially now that Parliament has voted to triple the maximum tuition that universities can collect from students each year.