The desertion and retention of students are issues that have been addressed at the level of national and international university political management. Insertion into university life constitutes one of the fundamental periods where permanence and/or university desertion is at stake. Through focus groups, those institutional factors predominant in desertion were explored. Population massiveness was characterized as the most relevant and predominant aspect in desertion, along with academic performance, which is influenced by multiple edges. Also, factors associated with student retention were recognized.