Factors influencing completion rate of the Bachelor of Science Actuarial Science (BSAS) at Makerere University

Abstract

The present study is an attempt to examine factors affecting undergraduates’ rate of completion. Data from 100 students was collected and adopted in this research, and a predictive approach was used. Results indicated that the most influential academic factors on the rate of completion were cumulative grade point average (GPA) and discipline; Government students had a higher rate of completion compared to students of private. The second factor influencing the rate of completion was admission criteria, and the achievement test emerged as the most important factor of admission criteria. Among the social factors that affected academic achievements were gender and age variables, and there was a significant gender difference, favoring females. This study emphasizes the role of academic factors and admission criteria in affecting the rate of completion, contradicting most previous studies, which have ix indicated that economic characteristics are the most significant factors affecting the rate of completion. Keywords: Actuarial students; rate of completion; enrollees