Drivers of academic pathways in higher education: traditional vs. non-traditional students

Dropout rates in higher education (HE) are particularly high for non-traditional students which may be due to unadjusted educational policies. Considering as non-traditional the students who are employed at the enrolment moment and using a longitudinal database containing information on 5351 students from a Portuguese HE institution, an event history analysis approach is employed to distinguish the main drivers of graduation and dropout risks for traditional and non-traditional students and to test a set of research hypotheses. The results show significant differences between the two types of students, confirming the need of discretionary policies. For non-traditional students, policies that assist them in an early stage are shown to be of critical importance, for example by offering pre-enrolment preparatory courses or by joining them, in the classroom, with students with similar characteristics. For traditional students, providing solutions for financial limitations and promoting academic integration seem to be more effective.