Academic Attributes of College Freshmen That Lead to Success in Actuarial Studies in a Business College

Abstract

Abstract The authors studied beginning undergraduate actuarial concentrators in a business college. They identified four variables (math Scholastic Aptitude Test [SAT] score, verbal SAT score, percentile rank in high school graduating class, and percentage score on a college mathematics placement exam) that were available for entering college students that distinguished freshman actuarial majors who completed the major from those who changed concentrations at some point before completing the major. In addition, the authors developed a logistic regression model using the same variables that predicted the probability of a student being a member of the actuarial graduates or the actuarial dropouts. This information is expected to improve the ability of teachers to advise prospective and beginning actuarial students as to their likelihood of completing this challenging concentration and, thereby, qualifying for an entry-level position in the actuarial field.