Are widening participation policies having a detrimental effect on retention and completion rates? Staying or Leaving the Course explores the continuing challenges of retention and non-completion rates in further and higher education and the implications of having an expanding and more diverse student population. Based on research findings and evidence from further and higher education, McGivney investigates the scale and nature of mature student withdrawal and explores the reasons behind it. The final section outlines strategies for dealing with the most common causes of withdrawal and for improving retention rates. First published in 1996, Staying or Leaving the Course is now perhaps more pertinent than ever. Including a new foreword from the author, this edition shows that while the educational context may have changed, many of the issues have not.