Adaptation and validation of the institutional integration scale (IIS) in Italian university students

University student retention represents a critical challenge for higher education institutions worldwide. Social and academic integration are recognized as key predictors of students’ persistence, yet validated instruments to assess these dimensions in the Italian context remain absents. This study presents the adaptation and validation of the Italian version of the Institutional Integration Scale (IIS), specifically designed to measure university students’ integration experiences. A total of 1194 first-year students completed an online questionnaire. Exploratory Factor Analysis ( N = 597; 68.7% female) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis ( N = 597; 36.2% female) were conducted to examine and validate the factor structure. The Italian IIS demonstrated strong psychometric properties, maintaining the original five-factor structure in a refined 18-item format. Institutional integration showed positive associations with autonomous academic motivation and self-efficacy, and negative associations with dropout intentions. The Italian IIS addresses a significant gap in assessment tools for Italian universities by providing an instrument useful for monitoring student integration and informing targeted retention interventions.