During his speech on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Conference of University Presidents (now called France Universities) on January 13, Emmanuel Macron did not mince his words. “We will not be able to stay permanently in a system where higher education is priceless for almost all students,” he said. The Head of State had described as “formidable waste” the fact that, according to him, “only 50% of students present themselves for the first year exams”. A data very far from that put forward by the CPU in March 2021. It then announced a participation rate of 90% in the first year. Behind this battle of figures, one certainty: the failure rate in the first year remains relatively high today since it concerns nearly one in two students.
“This phenomenon, which is not new, is more or less pronounced depending on the establishments and the training courses”, specifies Guillaume Gellé, vice-president of France Universities. It should be noted that there is a big difference in results between the selective and non-selective courses.” A student admitted to an IUT or a post-baccalaureate engineering school will indeed have a statistically better chance of passing the course of the first year than a young person enrolled in a history or philosophy degree. Regularly, the same questions come up: What to do to stem the annual tide of dropouts? How to limit the number of dropouts? What solutions can be put in place to better support young people when they enter higher education?
It would be wrong to say that nothing has been done in this area. The implementation of the law “Orientation and success of students”, in 2018, worked for a better personalization of the courses, in particular for the pupils with a more fragile background. “The measures are starting to bear fruit, the improvement is on the way and should accelerate” welcomes Guillaume Gellé. A note from the Ministry of Higher Education, published last November, confirms this trend: For students entering the first year of a license in September 2019, the rate of transition to the following year was 53.5%. A percentage up by 8 points compared to 2018, and by nearly 10 points compared to 2017. A positive development that should however be put into perspective, the health crisis and the difficulties encountered by candidates in the context of their revisions of examinations having undoubtedly led to greater leniency on the part of the juries and the awarding of more generous marks.
A new notion, introduced in Parcoursup, the national higher education enrollment platform created in the wake of the ORE law, has partly changed the situation. The answer “yes if” now allows higher education establishments to accept candidates under certain conditions. This warning informs the baccalaureate holder that he will be able to join the requested course if places become available during the Parcoursup process. In the event of admission, he may be asked to take support or refresher courses. “This can take different forms from one university to another. Some offer a first year in two years, others have introduced support hours or have set up pre-entry seminars in September”, explains Bruno Magliulo*, former National Education inspector. For this specialist in education issues, the effort is to be welcomed: “Universities that apply a proactive policy obtain results. This proves that we must continue on this path”.
Orientation, one of the keys to success
To reduce the failure rate in the first year of a bachelor’s degree, emphasis must also be placed on orientation and information upstream. “The fact that Parcoursup publishes the expectations required for each training course makes it easier to know where you are stepping,” acknowledges Bruno Magliulo. But the offer is so wide today that graduates often have a hard time finding their way around. “Orientation is one of the keys to success and deserves to be considered as a subject in its own right”, insists Guillaume Gellé. That would avoid a lot of disappointment. “In psychology, many students apply without knowing that mathematics holds a prominent place at the start of the license”, advances the vice-president of France Universities by way of example. As a result, some find themselves in a situation of failure because the course they had imagined does not correspond to reality.
The Jean Moulin University of Lyon 3 has launched several devices to limit or correct course errors. “We have developed partnerships with various high schools to try to support young people from second grade. We go to the establishments to detail the content of our lessons and answer any questions”, explains its president Eric Carpano. The “objective reo” course, recently set up at Lyon 3, also allows first-year students, who would like to change courses along the way, to think about a new orientation. “The work is done in small groups so that it is as personalized as possible”, specifies Eric Carpano.
But the pitfall, which is much more difficult to circumvent, which baccalaureate holders face today is that of the lack of places available in the so-called “in tension” sectors. “With the Parcoursup system, which has put an end to the hierarchy of wishes, a good number of students find themselves embarked on courses that they did not really want”, denounces Anne Roger, co-secretary general of Snesup-FSU, national union of higher education. “In fact, it is much less motivating to pursue studies that you have not chosen!”, she exclaims. Does this mean that the offer of the most requested training courses should be developed? In particular that of the short professional courses that are the BTS and the IUT? “The risk, regularly pointed out by employers, is the lack of opportunities, warns Bruno Magliulo. All the complexity is to find a balance between the wishes of high school students and job offers at the end of their studies”, warns Bruno Magliulo .
Lack of supervision in certain sectors
The fact that some young people find themselves, without any transition from high school, in large crowded lecture halls and left to fend for themselves to face revisions, does not help to face this first year serenely either. “This is why I tend to advise the students I meet to flee the Paris region, as far as possible, and to go to provincial universities on a human scale”, confides Bruno Magliulo. In 2021, to mitigate the effects of the health crisis, the government released additional resources, which facilitated the recruitment of student tutors. “A salutary experience! We regret that this system cannot be continued this year”, confides Eric Carpano. Several universities, such as that of Lyon 3, have also understood the interest of limiting lectures and emphasizing tutorials and practical work. Many would like to go further but denounce a crying lack of means.
A report by the Economic Analysis Council, published on December 1, 2021, highlights the differences in volumes of hours and supervision allocated according to the courses: there are 3.5 teacher-researchers for 1,000 undergraduate students, compared to 8.9 in DUT and 9 in school of engineers. This under-investment would largely explain the low success rate observed at university for the bachelor’s degree. “We invest less where we would need it most. And, afterwards, we are surprised to have a high failure rate!” storms Anne Roger for whom it is urgent to rectify the situation. Alas, Emmanuel Macron’s firm speech, delivered on January 13, is far from having reassured the teachers’ and students’ unions.
*Author of “SOS Parcoursup” (Editions L’Etudiant, 2022)