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Student Retention in Higher Education

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Economic Insights on Higher Education Policy in Ireland

Abstract

As education systems place increasing emphasis on accountability, it is timely to assess the factors that contribute to student retention in higher education. This chapter examines how Irish HEIs compare in their student retention patterns and if this changes when compared on a like-for-like basis, taking account of student characteristics such as prior academic performance. The results show that wide institutional differences in retention to a large extent reflect differences in the types of students enrolling in different colleges. However, some colleges with more disadvantaged intakes fare better, all else being equal, pointing to the role of academic supports, teaching and learning approaches, as well as student engagement in college life in promoting success.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Social Research Division, Economic and Social Research Institute, Dublin, Ireland

    Selina McCoy

  2. Department of Sociology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Selina McCoy

  3. Department of Education, Maynooth University, Maynooth, Ireland

    Delma Byrne

Authors
  1. Selina McCoy
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  2. Delma Byrne
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland

    John Cullinan

  2. University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland

    Darragh Flannery

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McCoy, S., Byrne, D. (2017). Student Retention in Higher Education. In: Cullinan, J., Flannery, D. (eds) Economic Insights on Higher Education Policy in Ireland. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48553-9_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-48553-9_5

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-48552-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-48553-9

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