PROGRESSION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE VALUE OF MULTI-VARIATE ANALYSIS

While patterns of access to, and participation, in higher education are now well established in the Irish context, less is known about progression once students have entered the third level sector. For the first time, data gathered from all institutions funded by the Higher Education Authority allow the authors to examine the factors influencing student progression in Irish higher education institutions. It is clear that academic preparedness plays a central role in student success in higher education. Leaving Certificate performance emerges as a strong predictor of successful progression within higher education, in line with research in a wide range of countries. The analysis highlights the importance of taking account of differences in the composition of student intakes in assessing the effectiveness of institutions in student retention. In examining institutional variation across the higher education sector, it is clear that wide overall differences across institutions to a large extent reflect differences in the types of students enrolling in different colleges.