Reprobación y abandono de estudiantes universitarios

Studies show that in higher education institutions, students experience difficulties during the course of their studies, failing some subjects and in other cases, withdrawing from university. Knowing this reality can lead the authorities to make academic decisions to face this problem and improve terminal efficiency, which is an important indicator for institutional accreditation. The objective of this study was to determine the failure and dropout rates of the students of the different faculties, and at what point in the studies these rates are higher. The research was carried out on 1900 students from the University of Cuenca, Ecuador, a cohort that began their studies in March 2013, and a longitudinal follow-up was carried out until July 2018, using the documentary research technique, for which the academic databases owned by the university. It was found that both repetition and dropout rates are higher in the first semesters of study in all faculties, and that Medical Sciences and Architecture have low rates of loss of subjects and dropout of their students, while some faculties from the Social Sciences area they have high rates of failure and desertion. It is important to know these indicators for each faculty and at all times in the students' trajectory, so that the authorities make decisions that allow improving the academic offer.