Dropout from university studies is only apparently a straightforward concept.
The term ‘university dropout’ is commonly used to describe situations where a student leaves the
university study in which (s)he has enrolled before having obtained a formal degree. The terms
used to describe university dropout from a student perspective are many: dropout, departure,
withdrawal, academic failure, non-continuance, non-completion, whereas their positive
counterparts are: persistence, continuance, completion etc. From an institutional and
governmental perspective student attrition , whereas retention
and graduation rate often indicate the positive outcomes