Post-Secondary Transition Bridge Programmes — Can Structured Handoffs Reduce the 72% University Dropout Rate?

Executive summary

The post-secondary transition — when Adventist youth leave home for university, vocational training, or the workforce (ages 16–20) — is the single most dangerous moment in the Adventist retention lifecycle. An estimated **72% of Adventist young people in Australia disengage during this transition** (Adventist Review, 2024), consistent with NAD data showing 50–70% overall youth departure. Yet the church has no standardised bridge programme connecting home-church ecosystems to post-secondary envir...