The overview of the reality and the factors affecting university dropouts

Abstract

University dropout is a process in which students fall further and further behind their peers and gradually lose all connections with the education system. This article synthesizes 35 previous studies to give a general picture of the problem of university dropouts worldwide and in Vietnam. The rate of university dropouts fluctuates around 20% of the course or of the university. This phenomenon is particularly prevalent among male students and first-year ones. The dropout rate tends to decrease in subsequent academic years. The dropout rate is related to curriculum and students’ grade point of average in the first academic year. There are many groups of factors that influence dropping out of university: firstly, the groups of personal factors including physical and mental health, learning motivation and goals, ability to fit in at university, learning ability, academic outcomes, school discipline, and time managing ability; secondly, the group of factors in regard to educational institutions, such as lack of career guidance in streams, poor-quality teachers, less innovative curriculum, lack of social support at school, tuition fees pressure, and lack of coordination in student management; thirdly, the group of factors concerning the family, parents' level of education and expectations, and family finances.