Determinants of academic desertion: A case study in a Peruvian university

University dropout has a social impact on students who do not complete their higher education studies since it limits job opportunities and personal development. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the factors influencing academic dropout in a Peruvian public university. A non-experimental, descriptive methodology was used with a sample of 50 dropout students; to whom a questionnaire was applied. The results show that socioeconomic factors have a greater impact on student dropout; furthermore, the factors that influence dropout differ according to the length of academic studies. These factors differ depending on the study area; personality and sociocultural factors have a greater incidence in engineering and social sciences. It is concluded that university dropout is not explained by a single factor but by the interaction of various elements of a socioeconomic, academic, and personal nature.