摘要：Dropout limits the personal and social benefits of education. In this sense, states and educational institutions seek to prevent and mitigate this phenomenon through the development of public and institutional policies, however, the complexity of the phenomenon is such that these policies are insufficient and are not fully articulated with the realities of students, hence the persistence of high dropout rates. Thus, the objective of this article was to establish the causes of student dropout in rural higher education using a conceptual model based on systems thinking from the narratives of a group of Colombian students. A qualitative study was carried out with the participation of 19 students. The analysis was carried out using open coding to identify the variables that had an impact on this educational phenomenon and was completed with a model based on a causal loop diagram. The results showed that work and family obligations, the student's financial condition and the role of teachers are the most recurrent variables in the participants. Finally, based on the variables found and the model, actions are proposed that should be incorporated into the framework of public and institutional policies to prevent and mitigate the dropout phenomenon.
