Table 1 Data recorded for each student

University Admissions Office

· Age at course entry

· Student number (unique student identifier generated at university entry).

· Age when left course

· Year started programme

· Total number of years on programme

· Name

· Type of programme (Direct-Entry, Graduate-Entry, Mature student).

· Address (country of origin)

· Previous degree

· Date of birth

From University Examinations Office

· Date of exit

· Last exam passed

· Year of programme student left

· Exam grades

· Gender

· Number of repeat years

· EU/non-EU

· Number times sat Autumn repeat examinations

· Other degree awarded

· Enrolment on another UCC programme (modules registered for examination)

· Completed Medical Foundation Year (6 year programme)

From Student File

Comment

Marital status

Not usually documented.

Living at home

Not usually documented.

Evidence of English fluency problems

Likely to be under-reported.

Wrong course choice

Identified from exit interview, student comments and timing of withdrawal.

Parental influence in career choice

Unlikely to be documented. May be a ‘personal’ reason.

Student opinion that course too academically challenging

Difficulty with programme as did not study science subjects previously

Because of course entry requirements, all Direct-Entry students have studied Higher Level Chemistry and at least one other science subject.

Documented evidence physical ill-health

Likely to be under-reported.

Documented evidence psychological illness

Depression, anxiety, personality disorders, eating disorders, stress-related illness.

Likely to be under-reported.

Documented evidence financial problems

Documented evidence substance abuse

Includes alcohol abuse. Likely to be under-reported.

Documented evidence family problems

Evidence of home-sickness/not settling in

Likely to be under-reported.

Evidence of relationship problems

Likely to be under-reported.

Availed of student welfare service

Student visits to the student welfare service are recorded in student files. The student welfare service makes confidential referrals to the Student Health Centre (has a psychiatry clinic) and counseling services.

Proposed plans for the future

Identified at exit interview, file comments, or subsequent registered modules.

Formal exit interview

Evidence of absenteeism

Likely to be non-reported or under-reported.

Evidence of academic difficulty

Examination failure. Low grades.

Left due to Two-Year Rule

Staff comments/observations

Valuable observations were obtained from inter-staff correspondence/file entries.

Student comments

Identified from student correspondence/exit interview/file entries.

Reason for withdrawal

The specific over-riding reason for dropout was recorded if available.