14 March 2016 Missing UE not the end of Lincoln dream

Students increasingly don’t want ‘missing out on University Entrance’ (UE) to be the end of their university aspirations, Lincoln’s 2016 enrolment figures are showing.

Recent changes at high school level have seen UE passes drop, but Lincoln has had a 111 per cent  increase in student numbers for a diploma programme which can still let capable students who missed UE, after a period of supported study, start their degree at year two level and stay with their peers.

The increasingly popular three semester Diploma of University Studies (DUS) offers students extra skills and study tuition, as well as more support. They begin a first year paper in their first semester, taking on more in their second and third, and then begin their chosen degree at the year two level.

A two semester DUS option, which is also experiencing rising numbers, allows students to take their year one degree papers, with only an extra couple of hours a week for the diploma, so they still get support and learn extra skills.

They begin their degree programme at year two also.

Feedback has indicated the option is a particular relief to students who had expected to get UE but didn’t, as they received word the offer of the DUS option from Lincoln on the day they got their results.

The programme is only in its third year but has replaced foundation studies and university preparation programmes which did not have that direct link into degree study, which is proving attractive.

The Certificate of University studies, a one semester course which leads into the diploma, for those who may need a bit more help, has also had an 87 per cent growth rate.

Academic Coordinator Heather Blakeborough says she had a phone call from a parent saying the news her child had options really helped them deal with the disappointment of missing UE.

She said it is good to have another pathway.

The students complete language and literacy, and study skills components in the diploma and have interviews to track their progress, offering extra support.

Mrs Blakeborough says there is a very good retention and pass rate in the programme.

“It is meeting a wide range of needs but not penalising students – they can go straight to Lincoln, while some may have just missed out on UE and not even need that extra semester.”

Academic programme manager Dr Megan Clayton says the diploma is unique to New Zealand, in that once students have successfully completed it they are eligible for entry into the second year of a bachelor degree.

Students can be in the Halls of Residence and take part in University activities, not having to go through another provider to get UE first and being delayed in their university start.

It also helps bridge a gap for overseas students who might not have a Year 13 option in their countries or whose qualifications do not gel that well with the New Zealand university system, she says.

Tom Mcconway, 17, has been drawn to Lincoln to do a Bachelor of Commerce (Agriculture) to become a farm manager in the future. He left Dunedin’s John McGlashan College halfway through 2014, in Year 12, to work as a shepherd, so he does not have the school qualifications behind him for direct entry to the degree.

He is doing the three semester Diploma in University Studies, which means he will start his commerce degree papers next semester, though he is doing one first year paper already. The diploma has allowed him to follow his career path.

If it was not available, he says, “I would not be studying.”

In 2016 he is in the same year at Lincoln as many of his mates from school, and lives on campus.