There is a global shortage of nurses due to the increasing demand for healthcare with an ageing population, while the labour force is demographically declining. Therefore, it is important to educate and retain more nurses for the healthcare sector. More nursing students will have to be trained within healthcare organisations that are already under pressure. Retention of nurses should, therefore, already start within education. However, little is known about the determinants and reasons for dropping out of nursing students in a late stage of the degree programme (late dropout) and the role of mental health in this. This thesis provides insight into i) nursing students' experiences and reasons that contribute to late dropout from nursing education, ii) the associations between modifiable psychosocial work characteristics and mental health and late dropout of nursing students, and iii) available interventions for improving the mental health of student and novice nurses to prevent dropout.