Multiple Enrollment Policy: Survival Analyses and Odds of Graduating in at Least One University Degree Program

Abstract

Austria (Europe)’s university system does not allocate tuition fees to its students and allows for multiple simultaneous enrollments. This leads to students having different constellations between earlier enrollments, i.e., “pre-studies”, and their current ones. This study aimed at gathering explorative insights into the relationship of these constellations with students’ outcomes (graduation/dropout). The sample consisted of 61,098 unique students in 108,915 programs between the academic years 2010/11 and 2022/23, with 24% of students having multiple enrollments and 26% having pre-studies. Survival analyses showed higher probabilities of graduating in each semester when students had pre-studies. Odds ratio tests revealed that the odds of graduation in at least one program are lower when having pre-studies in bachelor’s programs, but higher in master’s programs. This can be explained by the transferability of exam results, a possible knowledge transfer and academic readiness as well as a higher workload with an increasing number of enrollments.