How High School Records and ACT Scores Predict College Graduation

• Main Author: Sun, Lianqun
• Format: Others
• Published: DigitalCommons@USU 2017
• Subjects: Economics; Finance
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/6226; https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=7306&context=etd

This thesis is based on the data analysis of a large public university’s admission and graduation records between 2006 and 2014. Probit regressions were applied to analyze the relationship between high school GPA, class rank, ACT scores, and Advanced Placement (AP) test credits, and college graduation. All of the aforementioned variables were found to be significant predictors to college graduation rates. In both controlled and uncontrolled models, class rank had the largest predictive magnitude power to college graduation compared to other variables at the same significance level, followed by high school GPA, ACT scores and AP credits. In reviewing data from ACT component scores, ACT English and ACT Math were the only significant predictors to college graduation. There was heterogeneity for these variables across race, sex and residency, but at different significance levels.