1. 7% (24,745) of students left university in
their first year in 2012/13
£800.5 million cost to sector of lost
income in tuition fees alone (average £33K
per student leaving in the first year).
Reasons for dropping out include:
·Lack of student support
·Emotional and psychological
· Health
· Personal
· Financial
Long-term effects of dropping out inc. lower
employment rates, less likely to have professional and
managerial positions, lower levels of pay.
Extra support, both academic and
emotional, is needed to help
disadvantaged students:
·Cope with challenges
·Raise aspirations
·Successfully complete their courses
QuietSphere offers an easy to access
online video programme designed
around the academic calendar.
E-marketing used to direct students to
relevant advice when they are likely to need it.
THE WIDENING PARTICIPATION AGENDA - university
targets to increase the number of students from:
·Lower socio-economic groups
·Low participation schools and neighbourhoods
·Care leavers
Bursaries have no positive effect on whether
students will continue their studies.
Disadvantaged students have the lowest
expected rates of continuation:
·Unfamiliarity with university culture
·Less financial and emotional support
THE UNIVERSITY SECTOR TODAY HOW QUIETSPHERE WILL
BRIDGE THE GAP
OUTCOMES
QuietSphere offers expert
guidance to help students
build their resilience and be
better able to cope with the
challenges and stresses of
university more effectively
so they want to and are able
to continue.
We encourage students to
get face to face support early
on from support services and
lecturers / personal tutors.
QuietSphere aims to help
universities reduce dropout rates by 2-5%.
Our goal is to be offered as a key service within a
university’s student retention strategy
Benefits to HE: Student retention; cost savings,
improved student satisfaction scores.
Benefits to students:
Graduation, improved job
prospects, greater self-esteem.
QuietSphere aspires to become a highly regarded,
key support resource disadvantaged students are
directed to:
·We inspire, motivate and encourage
·We can empathise with their
challenges, connecting through video
Benefits to HE: Meeting set targets,
student retention.
Benefits to students: Improved sense of belonging,
greater self-esteem and confidence, graduation.
Visit www.quietspherestudents.co.uk for more information
Widening ParticipationStudent Retention
Sources: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA); Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) 2014; Higher Education Policy Institute
(HEPI) 2014, Office for Fair Access (OFFA) 2014; Higher Education Academy (HEA), 2015.
STUDENT SUPPORT
GAP ANALYSIS 2016/17

2. THE UNIVERSITY SECTOR TODAY HOW QUIETSPHERE WILL
BRIDGE THE GAP
OUTCOMES
1 IN 5 STUDENTS suffers from a mental
health issue during their time at university.
Impact on the student experience, academic
and personal potential and ability to stay in
Higher Education.
58% increase in students disclosing a
mental health
condition from 2010/11 (6,055) to
2013/14 (9,610).
Many students are too self-conscious to seek
the face to face support they need and fear
being stigmatised.
QuietSphere gives guidance on coping
strategies and other wellbeing information
via an online video programme.
Advice is easily accessible on mobile
or tablet 24/7 in the privacy of a
student’s home.
A key message throughout the
programme is for students to seek face to
face support if they are having issues they
cannot cope with.
QuietSphere aims to become an authority
on helping students to understand
themselves better. We educate them on how
their brains and bodies work so they can:
· Make informed life choices.
·Take a proactive approach to their
emotional and physical wellbeing.
Benefits to HE: More focused and
capable students, improved reputation
for offering support.
Benefits to students:
Feel happier and more motivated,
more productive, better able to cope,
better relationships.
Graduate employabilty is
at the centre of the Higher
Education agenda.
54% of firms believe graduates are
not prepared for work, a key reason
being their lack of soft skills (57%).
Whilst there is progressive development of hard
skills, there is no difference between the soft-skill
development reported by first years and third years.
QuietSphere encourages students to develop their
interpersonal skills whilst at university. Throughout
the programme information is provided to:
·Give an understanding of
the soft skills employers are
looking for.
·Help them change
behaviour or mindset
to prepare them
for employment.
QuietSphere helps students to become more self
aware so that they are better prepared with the soft
skills necessary for graduate employment and/or
entrepreneurship.
Benefits to HE: More employable
graduates, improved reputation in industry.
Benefits to students: more confident to sell
themselves, more prepared for interviews and starting
a new job, more comfortable networking, more
desirable to employers.
Visit www.quietspherestudents.co.uk for more information
EmployabilityMental health
Sources: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA); Higher Education Academy (HEA), 2015; British Association for Counselling and
Psychotherapy (BACP) 2014; British Chambers of Commerce, (BCC) 2014; Oxford Economics 2015; Time to Change 2013.
STUDENT SUPPORT
GAP ANALYSIS 2016/17