The Determinants of Business Students’ Faculty Performance: Evidence from a Private University in Syria

Abstract

This study investigates factors that affect students’ performance at the Faculty of Business Administration at a private university in the Syrian Arab republic. The impact of four variables; high school GPA, motivation, source of high school certificate, and gender, on student’s faculty GPA have been examined using large sample of students for the period from 2005 to 2015. Applying Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) estimates, we find that high school GPA is the main determinants of student’s faculty performance. Moreover, the difference in average faculty GPA between males and females is significant with males underperforming females. Furthermore, motivation seems an important determinant of faculty GPA though it is less reliable than high school GPA. Hence, Awareness sessions should be conducted for high school students to raise their awareness of their future careers. Moreover, admission policies need to be reviewed and developed to include motivation element in the admission process.