Causas de Deserción en el Ingreso a la Universidad; un Estudio de Caso

This research analyzes the causes of desertion that are generated in the development of the leveling course prior to the entry into the first year of the faculties of the technical area of University of Cuenca. Studies show that dropout is a global problem that occurs especially in university admission, cause of waste of time and resources to student and institution. It is important to identify main causes of desertion so that decisions can be taken and actions implemented to reduce dropout rates. For this, the student’s socioeconomic records were analyzed; math tests were applied at the beginning and end of the course; a survey at the beginning of the leveling course and another at the end of the course; also, a survey was carried out on a sample of students who dropped out of leveling, and desertion rates were analyzed for students in the technical area. Results suggest some causes of desertion, such as lack of bases in mathematics, not to enter the career of their preference, high academic requirements in technical careers, a complex evaluation system, lack of economic resources, among other reasons for the desertion. It emphasizes the coincidence of the causes of desertion with other studies, and the concern of the institutions to reduce the rates of desertion.