Drop-out rates among students at Bradford University are amongst the lowest in the country, according to figures just released.

About 200 students - between 3.5 and four per cent of the intake - drop out of their course or fail their finals, according to admissions tutors.

The statistics show the city's university is bucking the national trend which reveals nearly one in five withdrawing from higher education.

"Ours is one of the lowest in the country and we are very pleased about that," said university spokesman Sue Coffey.

About 75 per cent of the students who pulled out of their course do so for personal reasons. The reminder dropped out after failing to make the grade academically, she said.

"There are many reasons why students choose not to continue their studies but we do try and give them as much support as possible," said Mrs Coffey." If they have got personal problems, we try and get them in for counselling. If it's an academic problem we have a good network of student advisors and support workers.

"And if there is a problem with finances, we have a welfare fund."

Nationally the figures, which have been compiled for the latest Push Student Guide, have never been higher.

In the last three years the number dropping out has risen by seven per cent.

Experts have blamed the rapid expansion of higher education and say students are scraping into courses where previously they would have failed to win a place.

However, the National Union of Students points to increasing hardship caused by loans and spiralling debts.

The highest flunk rate was an astonishing 35 per cent, but Bradford is near the bottom of the table which is held up by a rate of just three per cent.

The news comes in the last nail-biting days for A-level students whose results are published on August 20.

'Fees will be a burden'

Spiralling numbers of hard-up students are expected to drop out of their courses as cash gets tighter, according to a leading Bradford educationalist.

Ian MacMillan, Registrar at Bradford and Ilkley Community College, said the additional burden of tuition fees for the first time this year could mean more and more students calling it a day.

"It is widely anticipated that this year the problem is likely to increase as students struggle financially with having to pay their own tuition fees.

"The impact on students as they progress on their course could mean that their finances are so tight they can't carry on. It is a nationwide thing. It is not unique to Bradford," added Mr MacMillan.

Students at colleges like BICC, which counts around 30,000 on the roll, could be more at risk of going into the red as there are a higher number of mature students with families or those claiming benefits.

Currently the college is unable to give an exact total of students dropping out of their course. But top priority has been given to making sure the number is as low as possible.

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