Factors Affecting College Students\u27 Academic Success

College students\u27 success has significant meaning not only to students themselves but also to colleges. One of the most popular measures of students\u27 success in college is GPA. Students who prepare themselves very well in high school usually would have a good performance in college. The ACT and SAT tests are college entrance exams for high school students, which have been found to have a positive relationship with students\u27 GPA in college, but it is not the only element to measure students\u27 performance in high school. In addition, there are some other valuable factors that could also predict students\u27 college GPA. For example, Class ranking, Advanced Placement (AP) classes, math and statistics classes, financial aids or scholarships. Class ranking might be correlated with students\u27 college GPA because it is an overall mathematical summary of students\u27 academic record comparison in class of high school. Advanced Placement (AP) classes, which are not mandatory classes in high school, are still considered as challenging as introductory college courses. High school also provides introductory mathematics, algebra, geometry, and advanced math classes, as well as statistics and AP statistics classes, from fundamental courses up to higher level of study. These courses help students deal with general math classes much more easily, and would likely contribute to college students\u27 GPA. Students who get scholarships or other financial aids are the ones who have higher ACT or SAT scores or have better performance in high school, so it also could be a good factor to predict college students\u27 GPA. Moreover, some scholarships require minimum GPAs to maintain the scholarship, which could provide an incentive for students to work harder in college. Various econometric regression models based on the data of a large university from 2005 to 2013 will test the hypothesis that whether or not college students\u27 GPA is affected by variables from high school. This research will provide a reference to college admissions departments to diversify review process and increase students who are more likely to get a higher GPA. High school students could use this research to take courses that increase their chances of entering a good college and getting a higher GPA