English Proficiency & Academic Performance of International Students at a Small Baptist University

The predictive reliability of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) as a predictor of academic success of international students at Belmont University, a small Baptist university, was examined. Data were collected and examined on 168 international students. They were profiled by gender, language background, Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score, grade point average achieved, and major area of study. No significant correlation was found between TOEFL scores and academic achievement as measured by CPA. However, significant correlation was found between major field of study, TOEFL ranges, and gender in relationship to academic success. TOEFL scores were also correlated with GPA for each specific academic major. A higher correlation was found for the humanities (r = .26, p \u3c .05), and undecided students (r = .38, p \u3c .05), than for business (r = .08, p \u3c .05). A t-test showed that students with TOEFL scores below 500 attained significant lower grades (GPA means = 2.44) than students with scores above 500 (GPA means = 2.72). Closer examination of GPA means for subjects in the TOEFL score ranges above 500 indicate that the higher the TOEFL score range the higher the mean GPA