Defining and Measuring Dropout Phenomenon in Romanian Public Universities

Abstract

Increasing the number of peoplewho complete higher education is among the highest political priorities agreed upon within the European Higher Education Area. The measures to meet the objective can be addressed in secondary education or by reducing the dropout at higher education level. Even if the policy objective is reflected in multiple official documents, little has been done to assess the dropout rate at the national level. The accurate estimation of the dropout phenomenon within tertiary education is more complex than it seems at first glance. It must take into account the very diverse processes that can occur throughout the academic student path. These are defined, regulated, and especially registered differently from one university to another: temporary interruption of studies, transfer between or within universities, pursuing two study programs at the same time or delayed graduation. The current research presented in this article is based on the analysis of available data from the National Student Enrolment Registry (RMUR), and it is part of a larger strategic project carried on by the executive institution in charge (UEFISCDI) together with the Ministry of Education in Romania. In this context, this paper aims to provide a definition of the dropout rate in the Romanian context, envisages the whole range of international approaches analyses the dropout rate through different variables in order to better highlight equity problems that need to be addressed.