This article reports on a systematic review of research into student retention and student engagement in higher education (HE). It discusses the origins and meaning of these terms, their relation to each other, their application and practice, and the issues and critiques that have arisen. The two concepts are seen as alternative ways of seeing and researching the same underlying issue. While student engagement is a more recent focus for research, it has now overtaken student retention in importance. As the responsibility for the financing of HE has shifted from the state to the student, so the understanding of student retention and engagement has shifted from being the student’s responsibility to that of the higher education institution (HEI).