A substantial proportion of students doubt whether they should continue their studies, and are consequently more likely to withdraw. In the study described in this article, undergraduates who reported they doubted gave their reasons why they did, outlined support they received and stated why they ultimately decided to continue with their studies. A total of 176 psychology undergraduates answered open-ended questions in a questionnaire. Findings for traditional and non-traditional students were compared. The most common reasons for doubting were an academic workload perceived as too high and course-related problems. Friends and family were the most commonly cited sources of support. Students’ main reasons for continuing with their studies were to achieve their end goal and to finish what they had started. These findings are discussed in light of what universities can do to prevent and manage doubting.

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This study hypothesised that academic resourcefulness and coping strategies would predict doubting amongst university undergraduates. Doubting refers to the serious consideration of prematurely withdrawing from university. It was predicted that mature students would report higher levels of academic resourcefulness and adaptive coping strategies, and lower levels of maladaptive coping responses, than traditional students. Regarding year of study, it was predicted that first years would express more doubting. To explore the relationship between student-type and frequency of doubting, 176 psychology students completed a questionnaire. Academic resourcefulness was the only (negative) predictor of doubting. Mature students scored higher on academic resourcefulness and adaptive coping strategies, and lower on maladaptive coping strategies. First-year students were less likely to doubt than chance would predict. No significant difference in doubting status was found between mature and traditional students. The findings are discussed in terms of support from which students in higher education could benefit.