Student Attrition in Higher Education: A Systematic Mapping of Causes and Retention Strategies

University dropout is a persistent problem that has affected educational institutions for many years. This phenomenon arises from a convergence of unfavorable factors of various kinds, such as: academic, family, economic, social, and institutional, which influence the decision of students to abandon their studies. Furthermore, dropout can be the result of a lack of identification and attention to problematic areas within the university, such as pedagogical deficiencies, lack of flexibility in schedules, and insufficiency in psychological assistance, among other aspects that require strengthening. This problem not only affects students but also higher education institutions. Many studies have been carried out to address this phenomenon through the implementation of different tools where favorable results have been obtained. From this, this study has been carried out aimed at the compilation and analysis of these documents through mapping. Systematic literature, this research was carried out in four (4) digital libraries where 3372 research articles were obtained that were subjected to different filters finally 50 articles were obtained, which answer five (5) research questions that have been raised in the study.