Homesick students dropping out

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The National Audit Office (NAO) estimated that students who quit before graduating were losing a total of £30 million in income which they would have earned with a degree.

About 28,000 full-time undergraduates who started courses in 2004/05 had left after a year, despite costing the taxpayer up to £13,700 each. Another 87,000 part-time undergraduates had also quit their course after the first 12 months.

Former polytechnics, which often teach students from poorer backgrounds, were among those with the worst retention rates.

The NAO's report came as hundreds of thousands of sixth-formers are waiting for their A-level grades and preparing to leave home for university this autumn.

The spending watchdog said the UK measured up well internationally, with lower drop-out rates than most other countries.

But while a third of universities had lower drop-out rates in 2005 than in 2002, the position had worsened in a quarter of institutions.

"A minority of institutions' worsening continuation rates indicate that there is scope for some further improvements in retention," the report said.

The NAO said the Government estimated that graduates earn on average over £100,000 more over the course of their working lives than non-graduates with A-levels. But thousands quit university without graduating, with those from poorer backgrounds more likely to leave.

Students may become ill or find it too difficult to juggle a family or work with study. Some are simply bored or find the course too difficult. "Homesickness is thought to be a common cause of very early withdrawal, especially among young women and students from rural areas," the report said.