New data shows positive trends in student progression and completion across higher education

Posted: 9 July, 2026

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) has today published its latest report on student progression, continuation and completion across Ireland’s higher education sector. This report, delivered through an online interactive format, will allow users to explore trends by student and course characteristics in greater depth.

This latest release builds on the HEA’s long-standing programme of analysis, including reports tracking the progression of undergraduate new entrants since 2010 and a series of studies on student completion. Progression and completion metrics are now a core component of the HEA’s annual schedule of statistical reports, providing valuable evidence for policymaking and institutional planning across the sector. Progression, continuation and completion are distinct but complementary measures, based on different cohorts and timeframes that together, provide a fuller picture of student journeys.

The findings show continued improvement in student progression outcomes. In the 2023/24 academic year, 9.3% of new entrants did not progress to the next year of study or transfer to another higher education institution. This represents the lowest level of non-progression recorded since 2019/20, indicating a positive trend in progression across the sector.

Education recorded the lowest non-progression rate at 4.5%, while Services had the highest rate at 18.8%. However, Services also recorded the largest year-on-year improvement, with non-progression decreasing by 4.9 percentage points from 23.7% in 2022/23 to 18.8% in 2023/24.

Students entering through second-level school leaving examinations recorded the lowest non-progression rate at 8.9%, while mature entrants had a higher rate of 13.4%. Previous academic attainment remains a strong predictor of progression, with students in the highest Leaving Certificate points band (600–625) recording a non-progression rate of just 1.2%, a pattern that has remained consistent over the past six years.

This report also examines continuation rates, examining the proportion of students who are recorded as continuing in higher education at subsequent years of their course. Non-progression rates are highest from first to second year and declines in subsequent years.

Completion outcomes remain strong overall. By 2024, more than three in four (76.6%) students who began their studies in 2019/20 had completed a programme within five years. As with progression, outcomes vary by field of study. Education recorded the highest completion rate at 90.4%, while Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction recorded the lowest rates at 63.5%.

Commenting on the report, Higher Education Authority CEO, Dr Alan Wall, said:

‘This report shows that progression rates have continued to improve, while completion rates remain consistently high. These positive outcomes reflect the system’s resilience and commitment to student success. Data on progression, continuation and completion are an important contribution to the work of the Policy Forum on Progression established by the HEA, continuing to provide evidence to inform collective efforts to support student success.’

To view the report in full, see HEA – Progression and Completion Report 2026.