HvA sees a drop in first year dropouts
Last year, 16 per cent of freshmen at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (HvA) dropped out. That’s a little less than the 16,8 per cent drop out rate recorded in 2014, the year of the last data on record.
Other universities of applied sciences saw a similar decrease in the number of first year dropouts according to figures published by Vereniging Hogescholen, the umbrella organisation for universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands. In 2014, 15,8 per cent of freshmen at Dutch universities of applied sciences dropped out. A year later that number decreased to 14,9 per cent.
Another 17,8 per cent of freshmen switched majors within or after their first year. Two-thirds went on to pursue the courses they started.
Most likely to switch
The percentage of dropouts is highest (one-fifth) for students who enrolled at university after following a secondary vocational education (MBO). Students with pre-university education certificates (VWO) have a significantly lower chance of dropping out, with only 5,8 per cent not making it to the second year of their major.
Graduates from general secondary education (HAVO, an intermediary level of secondary education in the Netherlands) are most likely to switch majors after the first year: 22 per cent of them change courses after the first year.
