Why Students Leave: Findings from Qualitative Research into Student Non-Completion in Higher Education in Ireland

Why Students Leave: Findings from Qualitative Research into Student Non-Completion in Higher Education in Ireland

Creator(s)

Elaine Burroughs, Niamh Moore-Cherry, Suzanne Quin

Organisation(s)

National Forum, University College Dublin

Discipline(s)

Teaching & Learning

Topic(s)

Learning Analytics, National Forum Publications, Student Success

License

CC BY

Media Format

PDF

Date Submitted

Submitted by

Export Resource Data

Description

Why Students Leave: Findings from Qualitative Research into Student Non-Completion in Higher Education in Ireland

Benefit of this resource and how to make the best use of it

This project reports on a systematic survey of existing qualitative data on student non-completion gathered by 16 Irish higher education institutions, including Universities, Institutes of Technology and HECA Colleges. The findings of the current qualitative study identified five core themes which are significant in terms of student non-completion: course, personal, financial, medical/health and family. Of these five, course was the strongest influencing factor. Importantly the study calls for a more positive interpretation of non-completion as part of the wider context of students’ career and programme plans. It also suggests that developing systematic and standardised institutional approaches to qualitative data gathering on students who leave will help enhance institutional and policy responses for the future. This study also helps to inform the forthcoming HEA Report 2015 A Study of Progression in Irish Higher Education Institutions 2012/13 2013/14, a quantitative analysis.

Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY)

This work is licensed under a CC BY license, allowing sharing and adaptation with proper attribution.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
? This citation is automatically generated and may require adjustment. Always verify it against your style guide.
Burroughs, E., Moore-Cherry, N., & Quin, S. (15/05/2025). Why students leave: findings from qualitative research into student non-completion in higher education in ireland. National Resource Hub (Ireland). Retrieved from: https://hub.teachingandlearning.ie/resource/why-students-leave-findings-from-qualitative-research-into-student-non-completion-in-higher-education-in-ireland/ License: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY).

Adapting this resource? Share your version!

If you have modified or adopted this resource, share your version here. Tracking adaptations helps us measure impact and connects others with useful updates.

Related OER

This resource captures key insights from a full-day workshop held on 8 May 2025, hosted by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) and led by internationally recognised expert Dr Alison Cook-Sather. The event focused on the transformative potential of authentic student-staff partnerships as a strategic approach to advancing student engagement, success, and institutional effectiveness.

Attended by academic staff, institutional leaders, student success professionals, and sector partners from across Ireland, the workshop featured a combination of keynote presentations, lightning talks, and interactive sessions. Through real-world examples and hands-on activities, participants explored how to build meaningful, inclusive, and sustainable collaboration between students and staff.

For the full event schedule and a complete list of lightning talk contributors to this slide deck, visit the workshop schedule.

Two modules are available on this page one for educators and one for mentors to learn how to engage in mentoring sessions with students. The page also has access to the Community Mentoring Handbook (for mentors), Mentee Toolkit (for second-level students taking part in sessions) and the Adult Ed Handbook(for adult learners taking part in sessions).

Community Mentoring Resources

CC 0

This document provides a summary of the book “MÉTODO DE LOS RELOJES. GRAMÁTICA DESCRIPTIVA DEL ESPAÑOL” authored by Manuel Perez Saiz, which serves as the foundation for the UCC Spanish grammar course.

Report an Issue

Name
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.