Predictors Of Success In The First Two Years: A Tool For Retention

Retention is a significant issue in engineering education. The ability to identify factors in student records which best predict academic success can be a very important tool in developing and implementing the timely and focused interventions which are an essential part of a strategic plan to improve retention rates. This paper presents a study conducted to improve retention rates by using step wise regression to identify the most significant factors to predict undergraduate grade point average at the end of the freshman and sophomore years. The model examines standardized test scores, rank in high school class, and various measures of high school grade point average for three different years of performance. The results show that, for this sample of first and second year students, un weighted high school grade point average and rank in high school graduating class are the most important predictors of college grade point average success. Standardized test scores were not significant predictors.