Salient

Report finds students enjoy a change of scenery

By Seonah Choi | 11 Aug, 2008

The Ministry of Education has recently released a report studying the different routes that New Zealand students took in attaining tertiary qualifications and the impact of this variation on the overall tertiary sector.

The report, ‘Different Tracks’, found 22 per cent of students changed qualifications in the duration of their study, while 19 per cent of students transferred to a different tertiary education provider before they completed a qualification.

The figure was higher for students who progressed to higher-level study after completing a qualification, with 52 per cent of these students changing providers.

The report, however, also found that students who transferred before finishing a qualification were significantly less likely to complete a qualification at the same level as or higher than their original qualification and were more likely to complete a lower-level qualification or still be studying.

The degree-completion rate after 10 years for students who transferred was 35 per cent, compared with 67 per cent for those who did not transfer.