Undergraduate Academic Success During the Semester of Reinstatement Following Academic Dismissal

This study explored the success patterns of academically dismissed undergraduate students who were subsequently reinstated at a mid-sized research university the following semester. The academic dismissals in this study occurred between the fall of 1999 and the spring of 2003. The university reinstatement policies provided the researcher with a unique opportunity to measure a relatively large sample (N=973). Two regression techniques were utilized to identify significant predictor variables that could be utilized to make administrative decisions regarding future reinstatement activities. Linear regression results indicated that honor point deficiency accrual during the semester of dismissal was a significant predictor of term grade point average upon completion of the semester of reinstatement. In addition, logistic regression was employed to ascertain the viability of a predictive model in which students were deemed to be successful (institutional GPA of 2.0 or higher) or unsuccessful (institutional GPA of less than 2.0) upon completion of the term of reinstatement. Results indicated that males were more likely to be successful than females. In addition, a low term honor point deficiency during the semester of dismissal, a higher number of term credits earned during the term of dismissal, and a higher institutional GPA prior to the tenn of dismissal served as positive predictors of student success. Those students assigned to the College of Arts & Sciences were more likely to be unsuccessful than students assigned to any other college at the university. The logistic regression model successfully predicted 74% of the cases in the study