This paper investigates the student dropout phenomenon in a technical Italian university from a time-to-event perspective. Shared frailty Cox time-dependent models are applied to analyse the careers of students enrolled in different engineering programs with the aim of identifying the determinants of student dropout through time, predicting the…

Study success in Higher Education is of primary importance in the European policy agenda. Yet, given the diverse educational landscape across countries and institutions, more coordinated action is needed to gain a more solid knowledge of the dropout phenomenon. This study aims to gain a better insight into students' dropout based on an integrated…

Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the extent of dropout students and identify the relationship between risk factors of dropout and the survival time of students. Design/methodology/approach: The Kaplan-Meier estimator (KM), also known as the product-limit technique, is a nonparametric model function that is commonly used in…

Academic dropout remains a significant challenge for education systems, necessitating rigorous analysis and targeted interventions. This study employs machine learning techniques, specifically random forest (RF) and feature tokenizer transformer (FTT), to predict academic attrition. Utilizing a comprehensive dataset of over 40 000 students from an…

We propose a novel approach to address the issue of college student attrition by developing a hybrid model that combines a structural neural network with a piecewise exponential model. This hybrid model not only shows the potential to robustly identify students who are at high risk of dropout, but also provides insights into which factors are most…

We analyse the economic returns in lifetime labour income of various educational paths in Germany. Using recent data, we calculate cumulative labour earnings at different ages and for different educational paths while controlling the parental background of individuals. We find that after the age of 55, lifetime labour income is higher for…

This paper combines a theoretical-based model with a data-driven approach to develop an Early Warning System that detects students who are more likely to dropout. The model uses innovative multilevel statistical and machine learning methods. The paper demonstrates the validity of the approach by applying it to administrative data from a leading…

Dropouts pay a steep price for leaving high school without their diplomas. In terms of wages, unemployment rates, and career mobility, the grim statistics have been lamented for decades. Society also suffers--more crime and welfare, fewer tax dollars, and lower voter turnout. Not every dropout faces a bleak future. But on balance, the…