Among reasons and emotions of university dropout, does context matter? An analysis of Santa Catarina community institutions

Although increasing efforts have been expended in analyzing the understanding of the phenomenon of dropout in higher education, the literature is still limited and silent about exogenous factors and related to the characteristics of higher education institutions (HEI). This study aims to identify and discuss the academic dropout in Business Administration and Accounting courses in HEI of Santa Catarina. To contribute to the understanding of the theme, this study adopted a quantitative approach. We used as a sample the courses in Administration and Accounting in the Santa Catarina HEI and the CRiteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) method for the analysis and ranking of institutions in terms of academic dropout from 2010 to 2014, being the first study of the theme that considers and evidences the feasibility adoption of the method. The findings show that private HEI located in regions with lower Human Development Index (HDI) and low per capita income have higher dropout rates compared to public and private HEI located in more developed regions. From the theoretical perspective, the article contributes to extend the debate and knowledge of the area by adopting an original quantitative approach and methodology, as well as by considering the exogenous factors related to the characteristics of the HEI. Empirically, the study also provides support for government and educational managers to evaluate the strategies adopted and the resource efficiency employed in the HEI.