Modeling Students’ Dropout in Mexican Universities

Abstract

Nowadays, the student dropout rate in Mexican higher education institutions have increased, affecting diverse life aspects such as economic, social, academic, and among others. The students dropout prediction is a challenge because of numerous interacting factors; an accurate prediction is useful for universities to implement strategies that reduce student failure-e.g., to implement tutorial action plans. The present research work proposes a model to predict dropout based on the student self-reported information and scores on the university entrance exam. A case of study to evaluate the proposed model was performed, results show a precision of about 86%. This model can serve to support decisions on strategies to reduce students' failure.