Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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415. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of third-level students from counties Galway and Mayo, who have started degree, diploma and certificate courses at National University of Ireland Galway and Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology in the past five years but who have subsequently dropped out without completing their course; the number of students in each college during that period who have started courses each year and the number who have completed those courses; the steps she is taking to ensure that students make the best choices when completing their Central Applications Office applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1998/16]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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Presently, the HEA can only analyse non-progression rates by county for the academic year 2012/13 to 2013/14. The following table shows the rate of non-progression by level between 2012/13 and 2013/14, for students from county Galway and Mayo attending NUIG and GMIT.The progression of students into, and through, higher education is supported at national level through a range of initiatives, including the on-going reform of the transitions from second-level to higher education, the National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2015–2019, and the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning.

The HEA is also monitoring higher education institutions' success in improving progression rates through the process of strategic dialogue. Appropriate targets have been included in the compacts agreed between the HEA and individual institutions.

The HEA's studies on student progression, along with the qualitative data generated through the Irish Survey of Student Engagement (ISSE), enhance the evidence-base for the development of policy and practice to tackle non-progression amongst students in higher education. The fourth Study in Progression in Higher Education 2012/13 to 2013/14 was published in January 2016 and is available at .

Table 1: % Non-Progression of students from Galway & Mayo attending GMIT & NUIG - 1st to 2nd year, 2012/13 – 2013/14)

Table 2: % Non-Progression of all students attending NUIG - 1st to 2nd year, 2008/09 – 2013/14

Table 3: % Non-Progression of all students attending GMIT - 1st to 2nd year, 2008/09 – 2013/14