Students from vwo do best in higher education

More than four out of five students in higher professional education (hbo) with pre-university education (vwo) as previous education go on to graduate from higher education. Students in higher education with senior vocational training (mbo) and senior secondary general education (havo) as previous education are less successful. About 70 percent of these groups receive graduate.

Pass rates in higher education by previous education

Half of students with vwo graduate after six years

University students with a vwo diploma do nearly as well as those at hbo colleges. After nine years, 78 percent of first-year university students with a vwo diploma had graduated from higher education. After six years, three-quarters of students with vwo had graduated from an hbo college. Only half of university students with a vwo diploma had graduated after six years. Nearly two-thirds of students with another level of previous education had graduated from university after six years.

Pass rates in higher education of students with vwo, by discipline

Health students have highest pass rates

The results of students with vwo as previous education differ between disciplines. For first-year university students reading linguistics, for example, 71 percent had graduated after 9 years. For health on the other hand, nine out of ten students had graduated nine years later. At hbo colleges, only 72 percent of students with vwo training taking nature courses had graduated nine years later, while those doing courses in personal services and health had higher pass rates: more than 85 percent.

Pass rates in higher education of students with vwo, by sex

Women do better than men

Both in hbo colleges and universities, women with a vwo diploma do better than men.
In hbo colleges the difference in pass rates is 16 percent points after four years and falls to 12 percent points in subsequent years: ultimately, 88 percent of women and 76 percent of men with vwo as previous education received their final hbo diploma.
The picture is different for university students: here the difference between men and women is very small after four years, but increases to 19 percent points in subsequent years. After nine years 85 percent of women and 72 percent of men receive a university degree.

Kasper van der Heide