SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Higher Education
Key determinants of university dropout: academic, economic, and psychosocial factors in student retention
Provisionally accepted
Alejandro Valencia-Arias1*
Julio Cesar Valera Aredo1
Jackeline Valencia2Sebastián Cardona-Acevedo3
Juan Camilo Patino Vanegas4Hernán Uribe Bedoya4- 1Lord of Sipan University, Chiclayo, Peru
- 2Universidad de Los Lagos, Osorno, Chile
- 3Institucion Universitaria Marco Fidel Suarez, Medellín, Colombia
- 4Instituto Tecnologico Metropolitano, Medellín, Colombia
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
The persistent challenge of university dropout reflects ongoing tensions in higher education between inclusivity, student retention, and equity. This study adopts a comprehensive perspective that explores the academic, economic, and psychosocial dimensions of dropout, rather than simply listing its causes. Using the PRISMA 2020 methodology, a systematic review was conducted to identify institutional strategies and theoretical models employed to understand and prevent student attrition. The findings reveal that academic performance (57.9%), motivation (73.7%), and financial hardship (31.6%) are the most recurrent determinants across the 19 studies analysed. Psychosocial factors such as emotional well-being and social integration also exert a significant influence on retention. Moreover, institutional responses particularly predictive analytics, early warning systems, and comprehensive support programs emerge as effective strategies for mitigating dropout risk. Compared to previous research, this review highlights the need for greater theoretical integration and methodological consistency, as most studies address isolated variables without connecting them to broader institutional contexts. Ultimately, this study underscores the importance of adopting multidimensional frameworks that link academic, economic, and psychosocial factors with institutional action to enhance student retention and educational equity.
Keywords: Academic factors, Economic factors, Psychosocial factors, student retention, University dropout
Received: 08 Sep 2025; Accepted: 12 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Valencia-Arias, Valera Aredo, Valencia, Cardona-Acevedo, Patino Vanegas and Uribe Bedoya. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Alejandro Valencia-Arias
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.