Why BRIDGE?

University dropout remains one of the most important challenges facing higher education in Spain.

While financial difficulties, academic performance, and vocational mismatch have been widely studied, the role of mental health and subjective wellbeing has received considerably less attention.

BRIDGE addresses this gap by investigating how stress, anxiety, emotional burden, and reduced wellbeing affect students' persistence and academic success.

Central Hypothesis

The project is based on the following hypothesis:

Higher psychological and emotional costs lead to lower subjective wellbeing, which in turn increases dropout intentions, even after controlling for academic performance and socioeconomic factors.

OBJECTIVES

The project pursues four main objectives:

1. Identify degree programmes with the highest psychological costs

Determine which fields of study impose the greatest emotional burden on students.

2. Quantify the role of psychological factors in dropout

Estimate the contribution of stress, anxiety, and reduced wellbeing to dropout decisions.

3. Calculate the economic impact of dropout

Assess the financial consequences of preventable dropout for students, universities, and society.

4. Design cost-effective interventions

Develop and evaluate scalable interventions aimed at improving mental health and student retention.