Qui décroche de l’université ?. Mise en perspective nationale et analyse d’une enquête en région Aquitaine

The fight against dropping out of university has gathered a large consensus among the various political and university actors. However the problem is represented, the need for a change in the conditions of student support is often mentioned, which is backed up by the low success rate at the end of the first year of the university licence degree and the high level of dropouts. However, the way the reference base is constructed, that is to say, representing the problem according to basic beliefs as well as the norms sanctioning behaviour, then of presenting this publicly, mixes different situations: the definitive abandonment of studies, career changes and the temporary interruption of studies. So who is really dropping out of college? Considering that the publicization of a problem does not depend in any way on its intrinsic nature, but on the representations made by the actors, the purpose of the article is twofold. First it traces the cognitive and narrative work of constructing the problem in its collective dimension. After having defined the criteria for quantifying the problem, it then presents the results of a questionnaire survey conducted in the Aquitaine region among students in general and those leaving without a diploma in particular. The survey gives rise to two results. The first puts the magnitude of the problem into perspective. The second emphasizes the procedural nature of the problem.