The phenomenon of high attrition rates at the University of South Africa (Unisa) is not new and has been reported on and researched for many years. The research has consistently pointed to the same challenges that students identified as motivation for leaving the institution before completion of qualifications. Due to the high cost in terms of human and financial resources associated with such lost opportunities, the institution needs to identify possible solutions that can motivate students to stay and complete their studies. The College of Economic and Management Sciences (CEMS) offers many undergraduate qualifications, and the attrition rate is consistently high for most of these. It is, therefore, important to identify the students who dropped out of a specific cohort to assist the College in: (i) identifying specific individual factors/reasons, and (ii) identifying the solutions proposed by such individuals that would have made a difference to their decision to leave. We conducted a mixed-methods study, which included a survey and interviews. We found in the survey and interviews that some financial factors are considered significant, but that students also want assistance to complete their studies. In terms of the retention strategy going forward, we found, amongst others, that an SMS would have to be sent to all dropout students to find out how CEMS can assist these students. Our recommendations include academic and curriculum support to keep students self-motivated and committed to complete their studies, and especially providing financial support to disadvantaged or unemployed students.
Robinson et al. (Tue,) studied this question.