Anglia Polytechnic University has defended its high student drop out rates, revealed last week in the first official league tables for higher Education.

According to performance indicators, compiled by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) 24 per cent of students at the Chelmsford and Cambridge based Anglia Polytechnic University (APU) are expected to drop out of their courses without completing their degrees.

Spokesman for APU, Roy Newson said: "The figures as a whole don't actually compare like with like because many institutions are almost entirely made up of 18 year old school leavers with very good A levels.

"The APU figures actually show a remarkably good retention rate given the very wide range of students that we actually sign up. ''

The tables showed that APU has a high intake of students from state schools, with 93 per cent of their students coming from this educational background.

The university also prides itself on the number of students from areas of the region with traditionally little experience or expectation of a university education.

Mr Newson said: "We have a large number of mature students, and a large number of people who are the first person in that family to go to university, it's very much about widening participation and admitting students from a very wide variety of backgrounds."

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