These are some of the findings from a report released on Tuesday by the think tank EsadeEcPol, which provides insights into university scholars and how they advance through their academic careers.
The study highlights that while university scholars in Spain achieve better academic results than non-scholarship students, “it is not clear whether this is due to the actual impact of the scholarship, differences in profiles between the groups, or a combination of both factors.”
Based on data from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities, the report notes that only one in ten scholarship students drops out after the first year, compared to two in ten non-scholarship students.
Additionally, scholarship recipients successfully pass an average of 86% of the credits they register for each year, compared to others, who pass 70%.
Scholarship students also have better graduation rates: 86% graduate on time, compared to 62% of those who do not receive scholarships.
However, these differences may be due to the varying academic, social, gender, or study preferences of scholarship and non-scholarship students.
Indeed, among scholars, those entering university with lower entry grades have a dropout rate of up to 19.4%, compared to those with higher entry grades, which is 1.3%.
The primary reason is failing to meet minimum academic requirements, which range from a minimum of 65% approved credits in Science or Engineering to 90% in Social Sciences.
The Spanish government allocates over one billion euros annually to university scholarships, covering nearly 300,000 undergraduate students.
Most of these students come from families with lower educational levels, are younger, and there is a higher proportion of women (six in ten).
This may be related to the higher early school dropout rate among men and the greater participation of women in university.
Only 28% of scholarship students access courses classified as academically challenging, compared to 40% of non-scholarship students.
In terms of outcomes, 42% of students with low grades receive a scholarship in the first year, compared to 27% in subsequent years.
This suggests a higher university dropout rate and, in particular, a greater likelihood of losing the scholarship among students with poorer previous performance.
Students entering a bachelor’s program for the first time automatically receive the scholarship if they meet financial criteria, but in subsequent years, they must demonstrate minimum academic performance.
The study considers the high university dropout rate and the loss of scholarships in the second year due to not meeting minimum academic requirements raise questions about the structure and efficiency of the scholarship system.
