Objective: To obtain the profile of students that deserted from the Faculty of Medicine of the Autonomous University of San Luis Potosi, México.
Design: Cases and controls nested in a cohort.
Methods: All students that voluntarily deserted between 1992 and 2002 were consulted. Each student was compared in an aleatory form with a regular student and a proper questionnaire was applied.
Results: The significantly associated factors to abandon the Faculty of Medicine were: high school of origin (OR=2.43), extra-ordinary exam (OR=3.13), and lack of vocation (OR=2.41).
Conclusion: The subjacent factors for not deserting from the Faculty of Medicine were: study habits, capacity for sustained effort, and tolerance to frustration.