First, UM only considers dropouts those students who no longer attend the university. Someone merely switching degree programmes at UM is not included in these figures. Second, at the time, the metric was only concerned with the average per institution, so a low dropout rate for one programme compensated a higher dropout rate for another.
Those differences of the past still exist in the present. A programme like Medicine traditionally has a low dropout rate, and the 2022 and 2023 cohorts are no different: only 1.3 and 1.9 per cent dropped out. Programmes that require students to pass a selection also typically have low dropout rates. University College Maastricht, for example, saw a rate of only 7.7 (2022) and 8 per cent (2023) respectively.
Stumbling blocks
STEM subjects, on the other hand, always see a high dropout rate, the Faculty of Science and Engineering (then still known as the Department of Data Science and Knowledge Engineering) noted back in 2016, when UM presented a plan to tackle drop out rates. That difference between STEM and other subjects is still visable today. In 2022, 22 per cent of first years studying Data Science and Artificial Intelligence dropped out, and in 2023, it was almost 20 per cent. The bachelor programme Computer Science, which started in 2023, also sees 24.5 per cent of first years throw in the towel. The School of Business has noticed a similar pattern with their more STEM-based programmes. Economics and Business Economics had a dropout rate in 2023 of over 19 per cent, while International Business was over 13 per cent.
FSE management secretary Rob Kock: “Students who performed well in a classical secondary school environment don’t always have the complex problem-solving skills that a university STEM programme requires.” Stumbling blocks such as maths also play a part, as does the fact that for Computer Engineering, Maastricht’s is the only programme in the Netherlands that doesn’t have an intake quota. Everybody can apply. A portion of these students drops out because of a negative binding study recommendation.
Not the right choice
Pupils find it harder to imagine what some degrees involve than others. According to associate dean of education Sjoerd Claessens, ignorance about the subject matter – and then discovering in first year that it doesn’t suit you – is the main reason law students drop out. In 2023, the European Law School saw a dropout rate of 24.1 per cent, Dutch law, 15.6 per cent. ‘Broad’ degrees at other faculties show similar percentages. For example, at Arts and Culture, 26 per cent of the 2022 cohort and nearly 16 per cent of the 2023 cohort dropped out.
Psychology (2022: 11.1 per cent, 2023: 13.2 per cent) has a similar problem. “Students don’t always have a good idea what the programme can offer, other than clinical psychology, which everybody can imagine,” said associate dean of education Anke Sambeth. “We try to take this into account during the selection process, by adding content that offers students insight into what they could expect, but it still seems to be hard for some people to make the right choice at a relatively young age.” Another hurdle is that this programme tends to attract people who suffer from mental health issues, something that is an age-old reason for dropping out.
Interim degree
Some students know exactly what they want, becoming a doctor, for example, but fail to make it through the initial selection. They often choose a different programme for a year and then try again. This is reflected in the figures for Biomedical Sciences, for example, where in 2023, 12 per cent switched to Medicine, or Health Sciences, where 14 per cent switched.
Covid
A number of associate deans of education noted the effect covid is still having on the 2022 and 2023 cohorts. Although the direct measures had been lifted, these students had spent part of their secondary school careers in lockdown. At SBE, where dropouts are offered an exit interview to explain why they’re leaving, there has been a clear rise in the number of students who are dropping out for mental health reasons – although it was noted that it has also become more normal to talk about mental health. Students also often find the programme ‘too hard’ since covid.
Measures
While dropping out can never be prevented entirely, hard work is being done to reduce it as much as possible. A small selection of the measures listed: one-on-one or group discussions with a mentor, calling on students who have failed to show up on a number of occasions to visit the student adviser, designing a curriculum in such a way that students have a chance to ‘land’ in the first period, and ensuring a close connection to the group, the university and the city. For example, since this academic year, SBE organises informal student-staff breakfasts, where students can chat to staff members.