Tackling dropout from higher education

Failure to complete higher education (HE) not only represents a waste of time and resources for students and their families, but also constitutes a misallocation of public funding. Dropping out of HE is a complex process, with students having diverse reasons for leaving university without obtaining a degree. The present report aims to investigate the underlying causes of university dropout across the European Union and to evaluate the effectiveness of existing policies designed to address this challenge. Recognising that failure to complete HE carries significant personal and societal costs, ranging from diminished individual opportunities to the inefficient use of public educational investments, the report seeks to offer a nuanced understanding of dropout as a multifaceted phenomenon. It examines both those challenges that are across Member States (MSs) and those that are shaped by national contexts, such as socio-economic disparities, institutional structures and regional education systems. The central research questions that guide this study are as follows: - What are the key determinants of university dropout in the EU, and how do these vary by country or student subgroup? - To what extent do existing policies and institutional practices align with the factors that contribute to student dropout? - Which policy interventions have demonstrated measurable success in reducing dropout rates? - What gaps remain in current knowledge and data, and what areas should be prioritised for future research?

 

Author:

ELIZAVETA POTAPOVA, Senior Researcher, PPMI (part of the Verian Group) 

Cite this publication as:

European Commission: Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture & Potapova, E. (2025). Tackling dropout from higher education, Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2766/0281215