Predicting academic success in the first year of chiropractic college.

Purpose: To determine if any existent preadmission academic or personal variables predict academic success in the first year of the Palmer College of Chiropractic West (PCCW) program.

Participants: One hundred ninety-two students at PCCW who had completed the first year of the program.

Methods: One-way analysis of variance and stepwise linear multiple regression.

Results: Men had a significantly higher mean matriculating grade point average (MatGPA) than women, but no such relationship existed in the cumulative year-1 GPA (Y1GPA). There was no statistically significant difference in MatGPA for students possessing a degree compared to those without a degree, but degree-holding students had a significantly higher Y1GPA. There was no statistically significant difference in MatGPA for students born in English-speaking countries compared to students born in non-English-speaking countries, but those born in English-speaking countries had a significantly higher Y1GPA. MatGPA, physics GPA, and chemistry GPA provided the strongest regression model, eliciting an R(2) value of 0.327.

Conclusions: Student characteristics on entering PCCW may help predict student performance in the first academic year. A relatively strong and statistically significant prediction model for Y1GPA (R(2) = 0.327) exists for PCCW. Used in conjunction with other available empirical data, this regression model may allow the institution to make more informed decisions when selecting students for admission.