Managing student retention through the assessment of cost of quality

Abstract

The primary goal of this article is to introduce a relatively new costing tool that could assist with the formulation of a retention strategy. There is a cost factor linked to the education and training of students: the money spent on a successful student could be perceived as adding value; whilst the costs related to unsuccessful students or students that drop out of the system may be perceived as wasted resources. This article analyses students' dropout rate by identifying critical dropout points in the students' study cycle. A quality management system is used as a basis to determine the cost of quality.


SAJHE Vol.18(1) 2004: 252-264