Early departure from a tertiary bridging program: what can the institution do?

Early departure from a tertiary bridging program: what can the institution do?

This study examined the early departure of students between the ages of 18 and 25 years from an on-campus tertiary bridging program at a regional university. Participants comprised twenty students who had dropped out of the program within the first four weeks of study. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews which examined the student experience and the reasons for departure. It was concluded that participants comprised of two general groups: those who have no clearly defined long term career goal prompting their attendance at university with an associated low level of commitment to university study, and those who were committed to completing a university degree, but whose circumstances changed which prevented them from continuing. Participants indicated that attendance in the bridging program was a generally positive experience and that there was little that could have been done to prevent their departure. It was concluded that a certain level of early departure was inevitable in the tertiary bridging program. Where intervention was attempted, it should be addressed towards the development of long term employment and career goals for which university study was an essential pre-requisite.