STUDENT DROPOUT AT UFMG: ANALYSIS OF THE INFLUENCE OF STUDENTS’ SOCIOECONOMIC PROFILES AND COURSE CHARACTERISTICS

Abstract This article discusses student dropout in higher education based on data from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). Focusing on the 2012 cohort, we investigated, using descriptive statistics and logistic regression models, the extent to which course dropout at the institution is associated with the socioeconomic profile of students and the characteristics of the undergraduate programs they attend. We examined two hypotheses: (1) dropout is associated with students from lower social and academic origin; (2) there is an association between dropout and the type of program, defined in terms of academic degree and level of selectivity. The results indicated that, in the analyzed context, dropout is not as clearly and directly associated with students’ socioeconomic characteristics. However, they highlighted that the academic degree and selectivity of the programs in which students are enrolled are important factors in explaining differences in dropout rates.