Factors related to throughput in final-year Statistics

This article reports on the results of a study examining factors related to throughput at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in South Africa between 1975 and 2001. The students in the study all registered for at least one semester of Statistics in their final year. Throughput is defined as the number of years taken by a student to complete an undergraduate degree and is described in terms of the following factors: Grade 12 aggregate, home language and Grade 12 Mathematics result. The study adopted a quantitative approach and used historical student records. The most significant factor was found to be the Grade 12 aggregate. It is therefore suggested that the Grade 12 aggregate be retained as a selection criterion for higher education studies.