Academic performance in the introductory year of tertiary education is one of the major predictors of performance in advanced level subjects. This paper investigates the relative importance of introductory economics and quantitative units in higher level economics study. The multi-year data set provide detailed performance scores of students enrolled in a major multi-campus Australian university. Using Ordinary Least Square and Quantile Regression, our results suggest that the performance in introductory macroeconomics and quantitative units significantly influences the students’ performance in advanced level economics study. This suggests that students coming to tertiary education are required to be equipped with adequate skills and attain a certain level of competency to progress well in higher level economics studies. This strategy may assist in achieving greater social inclusion and increased retention rates in university studies.