Determinants of Academic Status in Higher Education

The main objective of this paper is to figure out the main factors that determine academic status in a higher education institution. Based on the data collected from 218 students using structured questionnaire the researcher uses graphical, tabular and maximum likelihood estimations techniques address the stated objective. Both the graphical illustrations and the maximum likelihood results of ordered logit and ordered probit estimates indicate that gender, age, previous academic background (i.e., students grade twelve university entrance result as a proxy), department choice have a significant effect on the academic status of student at a higher institution. The findings show that female students have a higher probability of being academically poor than male given all other factors the same. Forcing students to join a department without their choice has adverse negative effect on students’ academic status. The other variables which directly affect students academic status is students’ previous academic background. Based on the findings the researcher recommends that Student’s academic background and their first department choice should be seriously emphasized by the ministry of education when students are assigned for each university and faculty at national level.