76 Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice Vol. 23(20) 2023 Propaedeutic Programme to Prevent Student Dropout at the Specialized University of the Americas in Veraguas, Panama Pablo Díaz Universidad de Panamá, Extensión Universitaria de Soná Sistema Nacional de Investigadores, Panamá (SNI) Analinnette Lebrija Universidad Especializada de las Américas (UDELAS) Luz Mariela Saavedra Universidad de Panamá, Extensión Universitaria de Soná The objective is to design and validate a student dropout prevention programme at the Specialized University of the Americas in Veraguas, Panama. The research has a quasi-experimental design, pre-test and post-test, with a descriptive and explanatory type of study, which allowed us to respond to the research problem, hypotheses and objectives. The population consisted of sixty-six (66) students. The students' need to know the level of development of multiple intelligences and learning styles was proven, and that, based on this knowledge, they learn to use the most appropriate learning strategies for them, in addition to structuring their study habits. Keywords: student desertion, higher education, prevention programmes, retention, university INTRODUCTION Enrollment in Higher Education is increasing very rapidly, yielding great benefits for all taxpayers; however, new evidence shows that universities may not offer careers, and people may not choose, the study areas that promise the greatest opportunities in the formal labor market (Vieira et al., 2020). And the possibility of students not graduating leads to an important issue according to (Ferreyra et al., 2017) and that is that investment in Higher Education carries risks that affect some students more than others, as some are less academically prepared and more likely to drop out. Rousserie et al., (2017) and Montoya et al., (2017) state that Higher Education - HE - is involved in major problems such as: inequity in access to the detriment of young people from low economic strata, disarticulation with other educational levels, limited linkage with the productive sectors, inadequate support for research in universities, growth of enrollment in private institutions and desertion at different levels and for multiple causes.