Factors Affecting the Rate of Completion of Undergraduate Students

Abstract

The present study is an attempt to examine factors affecting undergraduates’ rate of completion. Data from 7,443 students collected during 2017 were adopted in this research, and a predictive approach and multiple regression analysis were used. Results indicated that the most influential academic factors on the rate of completion were cumulative grade point average (GPA) and discipline; medical college students had a higher rate of completion compared to students of basic science and humanities. The second factor influencing the rate of completion was admission criteria, and the achievement test emerged as the most important factor of admission criteria. Among the social factors that affected academic achievements were gender and age variables, and there was a significant gender difference, favouring females. This study emphasizes the role of academic factors and admission criteria in affecting the rate of completion, contradicting most previous studies, which have indicated that economic characteristics are the most significant factors affecting the rate of completion.

Keywords: higher education; rate of completion; King Saud University; undergraduate students.