Education plays a central role in the development of a country, in terms of economic wealth and competitiveness. Anyway, despite the improvements in the accessibility to all levels of education, many students still leave college and university before graduation. This phenomenon – called “dropout” – affects both Italian and International institutions. To overcome this problem, many universities are trying to retain students as long as possible, helping them to graduate despite the difficulties. Such interventions are possible thanks to deep understanding the causes bringing people withdrawing from higher education. Moreover, it is necessary to implement an organizational structure that actively support at-risk students. The group of interventions that aim at improving chances of at-risk students is classified under the definition of “remedial education”.

In this context, the thesis pursues three aims:

1. To conduct a systematic review of the main problematics concerning dropout in higher education institutions, that are at the baseline of remedial education
2. To map the main typologies of remedial education initiatives to retain students and let them succeed in university
3. To deepen real cases that utilized remedial education in Italian or International universities