The Australian government should consider funding universities on the basis of student retention rather than enrolments, a new UK report has said.
The UK’s Higher Education Policy Institute has published a report by Libby Hackett, the chief executive of University Alliance, comparing the UK system with that of Australia. While focused on what the UK can learn from Australia, the report suggests where Australia could learn from the UK.
“Funding on the basis of retention also provides more options for managing rising rates of non-completion or drop out, which is something that might be more relevant to the Australian higher education sector in an era of demand-driven expansion with declining ATAR entry scores perhaps,” Ms Hackett said.