The Relationship between Entry Grades of Students Admitted to Public Universities in Uganda under Direct Entry Schemes and Their Academic Performance: Implications for Admission Policies
Date
2023-04-21Author
Aciro, Rosalba
Oriangi, George
Onen, David
Malinga, Geoffrey M.
Ezati, Betty A.
Openjuru, George L.
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Although studies on relationships between entry qualification and academic
performance show that students who excelled academically in entry qualification
often perform better than those with low entry qualification in subsequent
examinations, this argument has been questioned. This study explored the
relationship between entry grades of undergraduate students and academic
performance in public universities in Uganda in the first and final years of their
studies. A retrospective cohort analysis of data for undergraduate students of Gulu
and Makerere Universities using a sample of 2825 academic records from 2013-
2016 was conducted. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis were
used for analysis. Results revealed a significant relationship between entry scores
and students’ academic performance for those admitted on national merit, district
quota, affirmative action schemes and private sponsorship schemes in four
university programs. However, there was no significant correlation between entry
scores and students’ academic performance in the Bachelor of Medicine and
Bachelor of Surgery programs. Although male students joined with lower grades
than females, their performance in the final year was better than their female
counterparts. Therefore, this study confirms that the entry qualification score
predicts academic outcomes in the early and exit stages of the university. These
findings support the current Government entry criteria for public universities,
provide important information for the admission committee decisions, and may
have implications for admission policies. However, the lack of a significant
correlation between entry qualification scores and students’ academic performance
in Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery could indicate the need to revisit
admissions criteria for this program. Future studies should go beyond the
commonly used GPA to measure academic performance by including noncognitive factors such as practical skills, clinical skills, and professionalism. Furthermore, the role of background and sociodemographic factors in influencing academic performance at public universities should be considered alongside the
pre-entry qualification score.
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