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A study has been commissioned into dropout rates at Northern Ireland's further education colleges, comparing them with higher education institutions.

At present, there are fewer students finishing with neither an award nor transfer (dropout) in Northern Ireland institutions than the United Kingdom average.

At the University of Ulster, the figure of 12 per cent is significantly lower than the benchmark level of 16 per cent. At Queen's University, Belfast, the figure is 10 per cent compared with a benchmark level of 9 per cent.