Question reference: S5W-27397
- Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Independent
- Date lodged: 11 February 2020
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Current status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 10 March 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of students enrolled in Medicine courses at universities dropped out in each of the last five years, also broken down by the year of study they dropped out.
Answer
Information on the total number of students withdrawing from medicine is not held centrally.
However, the following tables show the percentage of full-time and dormant first degree pre-clinical and clinical medical students who are recorded by HESA as withdrawing from their course during the academic year, by year of programme.
Proportion of those recorded as having withdrawn from full-time first degree pre-clinical and clinical medicine during the year, by year of programme
Year of Programme | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
1 | 0.5% | 1.0% | 1.6% | 0.9% | 1.3% |
2 | 1.2% | 0.9% | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.6% |
3 | 0.6% | 0.4% | 1.2% | 0.3% | 1.0% |
4 | 1.0% | 0.6% | 1.0% | 0.5% | 0.2% |
5 | 0.3% | 0.4% | 0.8% | 0.5% | 0.1% |
All students | 4,760 | 4,715 | 4,690 | 4,680 | 4,860 |
All withdrawals | 35 | 30 | 50 | 25 | 30 |
% withdrawals | 0.7% | 0.7% | 1.0% | 0.5% | 0.7% |
Source: HESA student data using the standard population, SG analysis.
Figures rounded to nearest 5 and proportions based on unrounded figures.
Based on variable enddate, i.e. the date when the student instance ended.
Note 1: Students who qualify from their course with a sub-degree classification (i.e. certificate or normal degree) are not included in the table as withdrawing.
Number of dormant records withdrawn from pre-clinical and clinical medicine during the year
Dormant Students | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | 2017-18 | 2018-19 |
All students | 110 | 120 | 110 | 130 | 110 |
All withdrawals | 20 | 10 | 20 | 35 | 15 |
Source: HESA student data using the non-standard population, SG analysis
Figures rounded to nearest 5, proportions not included due to small numbers.
Note 2: HESA defines dormant records as students that are not actively studying at any time during the reporting period. Although some dormant records are students participating in an intercalated year.