Academic engagement profiles in higher education: Associations with well-being, dropout intentions, and problematic digital use

University students represent a population vulnerable to psychological distress, difficulties in academic adjustment, and maladaptive technology use. Within an ecological and multidimensional framework of well-being, academic engagement represents a relevant correlate of students’ academic and psychological adjustment. The present cross-sectional study examined academic engagement profiles among university students involved in the national PROBEN–4CH4WB and local PRA2024 student well-being initiatives, exploring the associations with multidimensional well-being, dropout intentions, and problematic technology use. Participants were 305 students from the University of Foggia in the South of Italy. Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) identified three ordered student groups characterized by low (33.4%), moderate (52.1%), and high (14.4%) overall engagement levels, supporting the conceptualization of engagement as a quantitative continuum rather than distinct qualitative typologies. Comparisons accounting for classification uncertainty showed a pronounced gradient in dropout intentions, with the low-engagement group reporting the highest dropout-intention scores. Regarding technology use, differences were selective: low-engagement students reported higher gaming-disorder symptoms and problematic internet use, whereas profile differences for social media and smartphone use were not statistically significant. Well-being scores generally increased across engagement levels, although high-versus-moderate differences were not significant for community or economic well-being. From an applied perspective, these profiles should serve as population-level statistical summaries to inform university planning and resource allocation, rather than standalone diagnostic labels for identifying individual students for intervention.