Almost a third of Flemish students are managing to complete their BA studies within the standard three-year period. These figures have improved slightly, although they remain well below the European average. Flemish Education Minister Zuhal Demir (Flemish nationalist N-VA) is working on new measures to address this discrepancy.
Of the students who started a bachelor’s degree in the 2022–2023 academic year, 30 per cent obtained their degree within the envisaged 3-year study period. This is a slight increase compared to the low point of the previous year, when the figure stood at 28 per cent.
Nevertheless, the Flemish figures are still well below the European average of 40 per cent. They are also lower than the figures we were able to report around 2009. At that time, the proportion stood at 35 to 36 per cent.
Around 20 per cent of Flemish students take a year longer than expected to complete their studies. A further 10 per cent need an extra two years.
For associate degree programmes, the figures are slightly lower. There, 26 per cent of students graduate within the standard study period. This also represents a slight improvement compared to the previous year, when the figure stood at 25 per cent.
New measures on the way
Why does Flanders diverge so much from the European average? “I think we really must not underestimate the impact of the decline in the quality of our secondary education,” suggests Nele Van Hoyweghen, chair of the Flemish Students’ Association VVS. “As a result, students are starting higher education insufficiently prepared.”
Flemish Education Minister Zuhal Demir is currently working on new measures to raise the pass rate:
"It wasn’t that long ago that Ben Weyts (the last Education Minister) introduced a measure requiring students to pass all their first-year modules within two years, otherwise they must discontinue their studies (the so-called ‘hard cut-off’). We are now waiting to see the effects of that measure, but it is still too early to tell. We want to wait for that evaluation before introducing new measures."
Minister Demir is calling for talks with all stakeholders in the sector. "Because only by examining the data in detail can we see which measures will actually be effective and which measures will mainly cause side effects and, for example, put pressure on mental wellbeing."