Predictors of White and Minority Student Success at a Private Women's College.

Abstract

This study examines predictors of academic success in a private women's college. We investigated academic factors (e.g., high school grade point average, standardized test scores) and socioeconomic status (e.g., parents' occupation, need for financial aid) as possible predictors of academic success among White and non-White students. Data was collected archivally from 299 former students at a small, Midwestern private women's college. We found that academic factors were good predictors of college success in general but especially for White students. Among non-White students, only high school grade point average (G.P.A.) and class rank predicted college success. Students who indicated a need for financial aid tended to have higher G.P.A.s than those who did not indicate such as need. Our results indicate that women's institutions should carefully consider the use of standardized test scores when evaluating non-White applicants. ********** Predictors of college success include academic factors (e.g., high school grade point average) and socioeconomic status (Arbona & Novy, 1990; Bryson, Smith, & Vineyard, 2002; DeBerard, Speilmans, & Julka, 2004; Harackiewicz, Barron, Tauer, & Elliott, 2002; Kahn & Nauta, 2001; Noble & Sawyer, 2002; Snyder, Hackett, Stewart, & Smith, 2003; Strauss & Volkwein, 2002; Wade W Bryson, et al., 2002; DeBerard, et al., 2004; Harackiewicz, et al., 2002; Kahn & Nauta, 2001; Noble & Sawyer, 2002). The number of credit hours students enroll in during their freshman year of college is also positively associated with overall college achievement (Jackson et al., 2003). There appear to be different predictors of college G.P.A. for different ethnic groups. For example, Bryson, Smith and Vineyard (2002) found that high school G.P.A. was a positive predictor of college success for Black students while high school rank and ACT scores were predictors of college success for White students. Therefore, academic variables appear to be robust predictors of college success, although the best academic predictors may vary by ethnicity of the student. Socioeconomic factors are also associated with college performance. Murdock, Nix-Mayer and Tsui (1995) found that students who receive scholarships graduate with higher G.P.A.s than those who do not receive scholarships. Students from high-income families also have a greater tendency than low-income students to be retained in college, largely due to the superior academic performance of high-income students (Braunstein, McGrath, & Pescatrice, 2000). Socioeconomic status may be particularly important for minority students. Furr and Elling (2002) found that African American students who had fewer financial resources and worked longer hours were more likely to drop out of college. Thus, there is evidence that socioeconomic status is a predictor of college performance that may be more likely to affect minority students. In the present study, we examine predictors of college student success at a private women's college. Our first hypothesis is that academic factors (high school G.P.A., high school class rank, and standardized test scores) will be positively associated with college G.P.A. Hypothesis two predicts that students who are low in socioeconomic status (measured by parents' occupation, the need for financial aid, and parents' marital status) will tend to have lower college G.P.A.s than those high in socioeconomic status. …