Students’ Transition between School and Tertiary Education: 2nd Edition

Executive Summary

Completing a tertiary qualification is beneficial to both the individual and society.  Students who come to tertiary education directly from school have higher completion rates, lower attrition rates and are more likely to go onto higher levels of study than other cohorts of students.

In the last ten years the proportion of school leavers going directly to tertiary education has increased dramatically, much of this growth is due to increases in enrolments in lower level certificate qualifications.  Students who leave school to study at certificate level in the tertiary sector typically choose to study at the same levels available to them at school.

This report found that academic achievement while at secondary school is a good indicator of a school leavers’ tertiary education enrolment behaviour. 

School Leavers with Little or No Formal Attainment¹

In 2005 there were 7,409 school leavers who had little or no formal attainment. Of these school leavers, 43 percent (3,159 students) left school and chose to continue their education in tertiary institutions.  Almost all of these students are studying for low level qualifications that are at a comparable level with the study options offered in the schooling sector.

These findings suggest that the low level certificates are providing a way into education for students for whom school is not meeting their needs in some way. It is unclear at this stage what the impact of the planned changes in the tertiary sector will have on these students’ options.

School Leavers with Some Attainment at Level 1, 2 or 3 (but less than University Entrance)² 

School leavers with some attainment at Level 1, 2 or 3 (but less than University Entrance) have a similar transition rate to tertiary education as school leavers with little or no formal attainment.  Māori and Pasifika, and male students are more likely to leave school with this intermediate school leaver attainment.

This group is the most variable in transition rates, with Māori and male students and students from 1-3 and 4-7 decile schools less likely to engage in tertiary education directly after leaving school.

In this cohort of students there is a group which is going into university study probably through discretionary entrance and certificate of university practice programmes.  Around half of these students come from high decile schools. 

School Leavers with University Entrance or a Level 3 Qualification³

There has been an increase in the proportion of school leavers attaining University Entrance or a Level 3 qualification, from 27 percent of all school leavers in 2002 to 33 percent of all school leavers in 2005.  Male, Māori and Pasifika students and students from lower decile schools are less likely to have achieved this level of attainment when they leave school.

Eighty two percent of school leavers with at least University Entrance or a Level 3 qualification in 2005 made a direct transition to tertiary education.  Although there are some differences in transition behaviour of students in this group, it appears that students who attain University Entrance or a Level 3 qualification are equally likely to participate in tertiary education regardless of their ethnic or schooling background.

Of the students who made a direct transition to tertiary education with University Entrance or a Level 3 Qualification, 80 percent chose to study at bachelor level, with a small group choosing certificate level courses.  Students who leave school having achieved University Entrance or a Level 3 qualification and subsequently enrol in tertiary education at certificate level are more likely to be Māori or Pasifika and are more likely to come from low decile schools.

Overall Trends

School leavers who have attained University Entrance or a Level 3 qualification are almost twice as likely to make a direct transition to tertiary education as students who leave school with lower levels of attainment. They are more likely to be studying at bachelor level and less likely to be studying at a level equivalent to that offered at school.

Demographic differences in rates of transition between school and tertiary education are consistent with the highest attainment a student has achieved when they leave school.  Male students, Māori and Pasifika students and students from lower decile schools leave school with lower attainment levels.

Within school leaver attainment groups Māori and Pasifika students have similar transition rates to other students in their attainment group. However, male students remain less likely to attend tertiary education after leaving school and students from low decile schools are more likely to study at the same level offered at school than other school leavers with the same highest attainment.

It is likely that the introduction of the Youth Training⁴  programme, which gives young people with no qualifications the opportunity to study in tertiary institutions at no cost, has contributed to increases in the number of students studying lower level certificate courses.

There is some variation by region, with large growth in transition to tertiary education occurring in Auckland, West Coast and Gisborne.  In 2005, students from Nelson-Tasman-Marlborough, Manawatu-Wanganui, Northland and Waikato had the lowest rates of direct transition to tertiary education. Although previous research has shown that geographic availability of tertiary education impacts on the distances students travel to study, its impact on likelihood to study at the tertiary level is unclear and warrants further investigation.

Finally, the numbers of school leavers who go onto tertiary education within five years of leaving school are high – 75 percent of all school leavers from 2001 had participated in tertiary education by 2006.  For students who take a break most are in employment during the period between school and tertiary education.  Upon returning to study they typically take lower study loads, suggesting they are likely to be working or raising family whilst studying.

Footnotes

1. Students with little or no formal attainment are defined as school leavers who attained less than 14 credits (at any level) towards a qualification in the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).
2. Students with some attainment at level 1, 2, or 3 are defined as school leavers who attained 14 or more credits towards a qualification on the National Qualifications Framework at any level.  They may have a qualification at Level 1 or Level 2, but have less than University Entrance or a Level 3 qualification (or equivalent).
3. Students who leave school with University Entrance or a Level 3 are school leavers who attained University Entrance or a Level 3 qualification (or higher) on the National Qualifications Framework (or equivalent).
4. Youth Training focuses on young learners, with no or low qualifications, acquiring a valuable set of foundation skills that enables them to move effectively into sustainable employment and/or higher levels of tertiary education.