A study of progression in Irish higher education

This report presents empirical evidence relating to the issue of progression through higher education in Ireland. The report is intended as a reference document that will serve to inform policy and the development of interventions to improve rates of completion and graduation. The analysis draws from the Student Record System (SRS) developed in the Higher Education Authority (HEA) over recent years and complements this with Leaving Certificate examination data from the Central Applications Office (CAO) database. The current analysis focuses primarily on the developments in the academic years 2007-08 and 2008-09 between two census dates, 1st March 2008 and 1st March 2009, and specifically on the issue of non-presence rates over that period. Full evaluation of completion rates will become possible as the SRS matures. The report is intended to underpin a constructive and collective engagement with the challenges presented by progression and successful completion of undergraduate studies. The report examines the issue of progression across a range of fields of study, [National Framework of Qualifications] NFQ levels and institutions. Significant attention is paid to the extent to which individual students' characteristics, such as gender, age, socio-economic background and prior educational attainment, have an impact on progression. While the main focus of this report is on new entrants, it also examines progression in the later years of undergraduate programs.

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