[hutzlibu]

Hm, it depends how "attrition" is defined. I read it the way it is done in german universities, meaning 70% and above indeed fail the weeding courses (usually math) at the first try, but you had 3 tries and still could attain the next semester, without passing.

But for quite some, it was indeed eye opening and they left for something else. It is a bit brutal, but effective and it gets the message across. If you don't want to struggle to learn the basics, you are wrong in computer science.

That doesn't mean, you cannot become a programmer, there is another formal path of doing so, but attaining a university does mean playing at another level. (or well, if should mean that, I got to learn too many who just learned to play the bullshitbingo)