An Evaluation of the Impact of an Exit Support Package for Discontinuing Students

Abstract

This paper addresses attrition among students at the University of Ballarat. An Exit Support Package was developed to assist students who are considering discontinuing to make informed decisions. This study evaluates the delivery of the Package and examines its effect on students' decision-making, intentions of returning to study, and perceptions of the university. A 39 item interview schedule was developed and administered via telephone to a random sample of 49 students who had formally withdrawn from study in the previous 8 months. The data indicated that the Exit Support Package provided valuable information to students who had withdrawn. However, the results suggest that the information needs to be provided much earlier in the student's decision-making process and needs to be made available from a wider range of outlets in the university. The parents of students also need to be kept informed as they were most frequently consulted about withdrawing.