The effective factors on dropout in students of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: Educational failure and dropping out are the major problems of higher educational centers. The present study was performed to detect the influencing factors of educational decline in students of Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 101 students with history of dropping out were compared with 209 students without any education problem history. Data were collected directly from their educational file using a designed questionnaire and analysed by SPSS. P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: There was a significant difference between dropped and non-dropped out of students with regard to age (P<0.001), sex (P<0.001), diploma score (P<0.001), quota (P<0.001), smoking and addiction (P<0.001), part time job (P<0.001), absence and low concentration in class (P<0.001). A significant difference was observed in the time gap between graduation from the high school to university admission (P=0.002), late high school diploma (P=0.006), non-nativity (P=0.02), previous psychological disease (P=0.02), non-interested to course and university (P=0.04) and didn't have a regular program for studying (P=0.004). Moreover, general health of dropping out students was lower than other students (P<0.001). Conclusion: It seems that university admission criteria should be changed. Education consultation, long-term financial loans and increasing welfare facilities can reduce education problems of the students.