Why Near-Completion Informatics Students Do not Graduate: A Mixed-Methods Study

Abstract

Near-completion students have successfully passed the majority of their curriculum. This paper investigates near-completion students with at least 150 ECTS credits who re-enrol every semester for years and even decades, without graduating or dropping out. The reasons for this behaviour are examined with a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative survey data from 117 participants and thematic analysis of 14 narrative interviews. The most prevalent reasons for prolonged near-completion selected in the survey are employment commitments, mental health issues, and problems with difficult courses. The interviews showed that failing difficult courses can cause students to fall behind their study group, losing peer-support and shared study routines, which slows progress and disengages them from university. The resulting prolonged study duration often makes it a necessity to work. Reconciling the double workload can exacerbate mental health issues, and contribute to stagnation in the studies. The findings point to a dynamic interplay of psychological, academic, social, and structural conditions leading up to near-completion in Informatics students. Although these factors are not fully within institutional control, they are influenced by the structural characteristics of study programmes, suggesting a potential for universities to reduce late-stage disengagement and support the re-engagement of inactive near-completion students.