This was most acute among Pasifika students, with 40 per cent of students in the first year of any university course or degree leaving their studies, compared to 24 per cent in 2019. The retention rate of non-Māori and non-Pasifika students in the same group also declined from 78.1 per cent in 2019 to 71.1 per cent in 2020. However, the 2020 retention rate for students in the first year of their undergraduate degree remained similar to 2019. UC was able to launch new programmes to boost student wellbeing and success, such as the Takere scholarship programme for first-year Māori and Pacific students and the Analytics for Course Engagement (ACE) system to identify and assist first-year students needing extra help.