Institutional Support as a Determinant of University Persistence: A Narrative Review of Dropout Prevention Frameworks
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.57125/FED.2026.06.13Keywords:
academic dropout, student retention, institutional support, student engagement, first-generation students, academic advising, early alert systems.Abstract
University dropout constitutes a pervasive challenge across higher education systems globally, generating individual, institutional, and societal costs of substantial magnitude. This article provides a comprehensive theoretical and empirical review of institutional support as a determinant of student persistence, drawing on longitudinal research, meta-analytic evidence, and established theoretical frameworks including Tinto's model of student departure, Bean's student attrition model, and Kuh's theory of student engagement. We examine the principal categories of institutional support — academic advising, psychological counselling, financial aid, peer mentoring, and faculty-student interaction — and critically evaluate the evidence for their efficacy in reducing dropout rates across diverse student populations. Particular attention is given to first-generation students, students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, students with disabilities, and international students, who constitute disproportionately high-risk dropout groups. We identify four cross-cutting mechanisms through which institutional support operates: the reduction of cognitive overload, the strengthening of social and institutional integration, the enhancement of academic self-efficacy, and the attenuation of financial precarity. The article concludes with evidence-based recommendations for the design, implementation, and evaluation of institutional retention programs, and identifies priority directions for future research, including longitudinal multi-institutional studies, the integration of early alert systems, and the ethical deployment of predictive analytics in student support.
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