Not only will gap-year takers do better academically but are also less likely to drop out of first-year uni.
Researchers Elisa Birch and Paul Miller’s 2007 study showed Australian students who deferred university had higher marks than students who started uni straight after school.
They wrote: “This mark advantage is more pronounced among low-performing students, particularly male students, who are in the lower half of the university marks distribution."
https://www.theage.com.au/national/please-don-t-make-your-kids-go-to-uni-yet-20191219-p53ll0.html