Dropout rates increased by 3% in 2020-2021.
College dropout rates rose during the Covid pandemic.
12% of students didn't return to college after first year during the 2020 - 2021 academic year, when many courses would have been taught remotely.
It's up from 9% the previous year.
SETU had a drop out rate of 21%, while TUS saw 17% students leave their course.
Treasa Fox, Head of Student Counselling at TUS in Athlone, has been speaking to Midlands 103's Kamron Clarke, and says the impact of the pandemic has been huge on this cohort of students:
But Guidance Counsellor with Tyndall College in Carlow, Gemma Lawlor, says she's surprised the dropout rate during the pandemic wasn't higher:
It's expected the number of first-year college students dropping out of college will see a reduction as we move away from the Pandemic.
Head of Student Counselling at TUS Midlands, Treasa Fox, says she thinks the figure will fall:
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