Predictors of student success: a study of Portuguese Higher Education graduates

Abstract

This research analyses the determinants of academic achievement of Bachelor and Integrated Masters students that graduated in 2011/12 in Portugal. It uses student individual data on student's characteristics, social background, and past educational success to predict deviation from average scores and whether or not they graduate in due time. The main ndings are that parent's education e ects are totally factored in basic and secondary education (although a ecting Higher Education performance indirectly) and that internal high school scores are better predictors of success at the university level than National Exams. Moreover, the fndings show that the level of signifcance and relevance of factors like working status, social support and gender, vary with the type of Higher Education (University versus Polytechnic and more demanding versus less demanding degrees).