This paper presents a study that examined the reasons for dropping out of a distance language learning programme offered by an open university in Indonesia. A purposive sample of students who registered for online English writing courses at the university was used. To gain a better understanding of the issues, the study also sought information from online tutors. A longitudinal research design employing qualitative research method was used over four stages of data collection. Open-ended question surveys were adopted to gain an understanding of underlying reasons for persisting or discontinuing their studies. Semi-structured interviews were conducted at each stage to obtain deeper information from the students and the online tutors. The data was analysed with NVivo version 10. The findings of the open-ended question surveys and the interviews indicated that the major reasons that led the students to drop out were lack of basic skills in English, unmet expectations, feelings of isolation, and the inability to balance work, family, and study responsibilities. The study offers a theoretical framework to describe the factors related to student dropout from a distance language learning programme. This study also offers models of interaction, teaching and learning in distance language learning to minimise the dropout rate.