More than 64% of new entrants at the upper secondary level of education in 2018 had graduated in 2022. The completion rate, i.e. the proportion of new entrants who have graduated, has never been higher since Statistics Iceland began publishing data on new entrants in 1995.
Dropout has been close to 20% in the last three years and was 20.3% for new entrants in 2018 four years after entering upper secondary education. Just over 15% of new entrants in the autumn of 2018 were still in education without having graduated four years after entering, the lowest rate measured.
Highest completion rate among students born abroad with both parents born in Iceland
The completion rate was highest among students born abroad with both parents born in Iceland; more than 80% of those new entrants in 2018 had graduated in 2022. A total of 67% of those who had no foreign background had graduated and more than 64% of those who were born abroad and have one parent born abroad.
Almost 61% of those born in Iceland with both parents born abroad had graduated and 57% of those who were born in Iceland and have one parent born abroad. The completion rate was lowest among immigrants, i.e. those who were born abroad and have both parents born abroad, but almost 41% of these new entrants had graduated in four years. The completion rate for immigrants has been increasing but is still considerably lower than among new entrants with Icelandic background.
Age when moving to Iceland matters
The completion rate of immigrants, who moved to Iceland before the age of seven, was much higher than among immigrants who were seven years old or older when moving to the country. The completion rate of immigrants who moved to Iceland before the age of seven was almost 53% four years after enrolling in 2018, but over 37% among those who were seven years old or older when moving to the country.
The completion rate was almost 61% among students who were born in Iceland but have both parents born abroad and almost 67% among non-immigrants, i.e. those who were born in Iceland with one parent born abroad, those who were born abroad but both parents were born in Iceland, those who were born abroad having one parent born abroad and those who have no foreign background.
In addition, the dropout rate was much higher for immigrants who were seven years old or older when moving to Iceland, than among other students.
What is dropout?
Dropout from education can be defined in several ways. The method used for these data is to follow up on new entrants in day courses in the autumn after four years, six years and seven years, the so-called cohort rate.
About the data
New entrants are students who were registered in programmes at the upper secondary level of education in the autumn for the first time since the start of the Statistics Iceland Student register in 1975. All day course students of all ages are included. Graduates are those who have graduated from upper secondary programmes of at least two years’ duration.
Students still in education are those students who are studying in day courses, evening courses or by distance learning at the upper secondary or tertiary levels of education in Iceland in the autumn, who have not graduated. Dropouts are those who have not graduated and are not in education. Statistics Iceland has data on the completion rate and dropout at the upper secondary level starting with new entrants in 1995.
Information on the background of students is derived from population data. Immigrants are those who were born abroad and have both parents born abroad. Exchange students, who stay in Iceland for one year, are included in the data on immigrants.