Administrative data analysis of student attrition in Hungarian Medical Training

Abstract

Background Even though dropout is a well-researched topic in tertiary education, it is still not clear which variables have an impact on it beyond individual attributes. There is numerous empirical evidence supporting that college students studying in STEM fields are characterized by a higher risk of attrition than their peers. Even though medicine is not traditionally considered to be part of STEM disciplines, some suggest to include it, as the field of medicine is an important area in research focusing on student attrition. Since Hungarian medical training attracts more and more international students every year, the issue of attrition in this field of study can have a global impact too. Methods In our study we examined the dropout behavior of all medical students who started their studies in 2010 in Hungary (N = 977) by analyzing longitudinal administrative data of the students between 2010 and 2017, which unlike self-reported questionnaires made it possible for us to analyse data that without any kind of distortion. Since we analyzed the data of all students studying medicine in this period in Hungary, we conducted descriptive statistics and revealed the risk and protective factors of drouput using bonary logistic regression. Results Our results indicate that the risk of dropout can be increased by a low number of credits and passive semesters and the tuition-based forms of finance, although dormitory placement can serve as a protective factor. Conclusions Relieving the rigidity of the training network, more educational attention, targeted mentoring in the case of learning difficulties and dormitory placement in support of learning communities can be formulated as a policy proposal.