evidence: Fewer than one-in-25 (3.9%) Northern Ireland students aged under 21 who began a full-time undergraduate degree in 2019-20 dropped out of their course. [...] Out of 7,265 new "young" students at Queen's University of Belfast, Ulster University, Stranmillis University College and St Mary's University College in 2019-2020, only 280 decided to leave higher education. [...] The dropout rate among 1,925 mature students in Northern Ireland was higher at 5.6% (105 students) but also lower than any year since at least 2014.