In the autumn of 2012 there were 4,677 new entrants in day courses at the upper secondary level in Iceland. Four years later, 52% of these entrants had graduated from programmes at the upper secondary level that were at least of two years’ duration. More than 26% of these new entrants had dropped out of school or taken a temporary leave from study while 22% were still in education without having graduated. The changes in the requirements which shortened the time needed to complete the matriculation examination were not fully implemented in the years covered by this data collection.
More students graduated from schools in the capital region than in schools outside the region. Around 55% of new entrants, who entered schools in the capital region in the autumn of 2012, had graduated in 2016, but 48% of those who entered schools outside the capital region. More than 23% of new entrants in the capital region had dropped out without graduating, but more than 31% of new entrants in schools outside of the capital region.
The completion rate has increased in recent years
The completion rate, i.e. the proportion of new entrants that have graduated, has increased slowly since the year 2000. Four years after entering over 43% of new entrants in 2000 had graduated, but 52% of new entrants in the autumn of 2012. On the other hand, the proportion of new entrants still in education has dropped slightly, to less than 22%, but was almost 28% in 2004 and 2005. The dropout of new entrants four years after entering has varied during this period, from more than 25% to almost 30%.
Fewer immigrants graduate from upper secondary schools than students of Icelandic origin
In the autumn of 2012, 261 immigrants entered day courses at the upper secondary level for the first time. Four years later, 29% of these entrants had graduated. The completion rate is highest among students born abroad of Icelandic origin; 56% of those new entrants in 2012 had graduated in 2016. A total of 54% of new entrants in 2012, who had no foreign background, had graduated from the upper secondary level four years later.
Women are more likely to graduate than men, irrespective of origin and new entrants in general programmes are more likely to graduate than students in vocational programmes.
What is dropout?
Dropout from education can be defined in a number of ways. The method used for these data is to follow up on new entrants in day courses in the autumn, 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. Classification of the background of students is derived from population data on immigrants and persons with foreign background.