An increasing proportion of the United Kingdom's (UK) full-time undergraduate student population is mature. However, the reasons as to why these students leave higher education early are under-researched. Based upon research conducted in the North East of England, this article contributes to the closure of this gap as it highlights a number of issues that impact upon the retention of mature students. These issues include finance, a lack of preparedness for higher education and timetabling. The North East's six universities have responded to these issues by introducing systems of support that span the student lifecycle.
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