Any claims that Australian universities are facing a student dropout ¡°crisis¡± are unfounded and ¡°unnecessarily alarmist,¡± an expert panel has said.

The ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ Standards Panel, commissioned to look at the issue by education minister Simon Birmingham, said that recent media coverage of attrition rates had painted an overly gloomy picture of Australia¡¯s higher education sector.

Overall, 15 per cent of students at Australian universities did not complete their course in 2015, roughly the same proportion as in 2005, says the paper, ¡°Improving retention, completion and success in higher education¡±.

The?study, published on 14 June, rejects claims that this non-completion rate was caused by lower admission standards linked to the rise in student numbers in recent years.?

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¡°Common reasons cited for withdrawal are personal, including physical or mental health issues, financial pressures and other reasons often beyond institutional control,¡± the paper notes.

Belinda Robinson, chief executive of Universities Australia, said that the paper was further evidence that claims about university attrition rates were ¡°overblown¡±.?

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¡°It concludes yet again that students with the highest attrition rates are those most likely to be juggling university with jobs or caring for their families,¡± said Ms Robinson, who added this was ¡°particularly true for students who are mature, part-time or studying online.¡±

The Australian government is considering linking a portion of public funding to institutional performance on retention, but Ms?Robinson said that it was ¡°important to note that the factors that lead most students to consider leaving their studies are often beyond the control of a university".

¡°This highlights the problem with attempting to tie funding to metrics such as attrition rates ¨C you¡¯d potentially penalise the universities that serve students who have the greatest challenges to complete a degree,¡± she said.

The fact that attrition rates had not risen since 2005 was ¡°a real accomplishment¡­given the uncapping of student places, [in which] we have seen a huge increase in the number of university students, and rapid growth in the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds,¡± added Ms Robinson.

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The discussion paper suggests collecting better data to understand the factors driving attrition in more detail.?

¡°It¡¯s by understanding even more about the students most at risk of attrition that we will continue to build on a very strong track record here in Australia," the paper says.

jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com