An analysis of predictors of early academic dismissal

Abstract

As a first step in developing a model of academic dismissal, logistic regression was employed to analyze predictors of academic performance (academic dismissal versus satisfactory performance) for first-time freshmen after one semester in an eastern state university. The analyses for each of two entry years produced very similar results. The analyses indicated that academic performance was highly related to high school academic grade point average (gpa). After controlling for SAT Verbal and SAT Math scores and high school academic gpa, race and the academic grouping of the student's major were significantly related to academic performance. However, for students of a given race and in a given academic grouping with the same SAT Verbal scores, the same SAT Math scores, and the same high school academic gpas, there was no significant difference in the predicted probability of academic dismissal for (1) men and women students, (2) dormitory and commuter students, and (3) full-time and part-time students.