Effects of the Binding Study advice at a Dutch university

Most universities in the Netherlands have an academic dismissal policy: students who gain less ECTS than a certain threshold can be expelled from the programme. The university of Groningen introduced the binding study advice (BSA) in 2010 to enhance study success. In 2010 and 2011 students had to attain 40 out of the 60 ECTS in the first year. As a consequence performance of first year students improved significantly. In 2012 the threshold was heightened to 45 ECTS. Furthermore, by means of statistical modelling, we examined what effect a raise of 5 additional ECTS would have on good, median and poor students. Not only poor but also median students would be in danger of getting expelled with a threshold of 50 ECTS. Therefore we can conclude that a threshold of 45 ECTS is sufficient as a dismissal policy.