Short-and Long-Term Validity of High School GPA for Admission to Colleges outside the United States

Abstract

High school GPA is the only admission criterion that is currently used by many colleges in Yemen to select their potential students. Its predictive validity was investigated to ensure the accuracy of the admission decisions in these colleges. The relationship between students' persistence in the 4 years of college and high school GPA was studied as well. The sample in the study consisted of 1603 cohort students from two public universities in Yemen. The data analysis included simple, multiple, and logistic regression analyses. Results showed that high school GPA was a significant predictor of academic performance as measured by first-year college GPA and 4-year cumulative GPA. However, it explained a very small portion of the total variance in these academic variables. It was also found that it has no relationship with students' persistence. Therefore, a comprehensive review of the use of high school GPA for admission decisions is strongly recommended.

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