College dropout rates rose during the covid pandemic.
12 per cent of students didn't return to college after first year during the 2020 - 2021 academic year.
This coincides with when many courses would have been taught remotely.
It's up from 9 per cent the previous year.
But Guidance Counsellor with Tyndall College in Carlow, says she's surprised the dropout rate during the pandemic wasn't higher:
"About 21% dropped out in their first year in some of the Technological Universities and that was up about 25%.
"And given the year that we had, and the time we had between 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 and experience that students had in college in their first year, I think its extraordinary its not much higher."
