CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES: PUBLIC POLICIES FOR RETENTION IN HIGHER EDUCATION AND REDUCING UNIVERSITY DROPOUT RATES

Abstract

University dropout is a significant challenge for higher education institutions and public policies, impacting resource efficiency and education quality. This study aims to analy - ze the relationship between public policies for retention in higher education and the contain- ment of university dropout, identifying effective strategies and challenges faced in this con- text. The research was guided by four central questions: which measures universities have adopted to curb dropout, whether there are public policies that assist in this containment, what damages dropout causes to educational institutions, and what challenges are described in the studies. The methodology included a systematic literature review, with manual search and da - tabase search on Scielo, resulting in the selection of six final studies addressing the topic of university dropout and retention policies from 2018 to 2022. The results highlight the impor- tance of effective retention policies, the need for a review of the official definition of dropout to support better public policies, and the importance of knowledge management to systemati- cally analyze dropout in undergraduate courses. It is concluded that the urgent implementation of more effective policies and institutional strategies is necessary to address the challenge of dropout in higher education, aiming to ensure equity and quality in higher education.