Admission Patterns and Students' Academic Performance in Public Universities in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated the Influence of Admission Patterns on Students' Academic Performance in a federal University in Akwa Ibom State. The study employed ex-post facto design.  Four research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. The population of the study comprised all 4,383undergraduate students admitted through UTME and Direct entry in 2015/2016, 2016/2017 sessions with the sample size of 2203 undergraduate students drawn using multistage sampling technique. Data were collected on UTME/Direct Admissions and Cumulative Grade Point Averages (CGPAs) from the University Examinations and Records using structured checklists. Independent t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to analyze data and test the hypotheses at level of significance of 0.05. The findings revealed that significant difference exist in students' academic performance based on mode of entry and academic discipline but no significant difference based on faculty. It was concluded that admission patterns influence students' academic performance. The study therefore recommends among others that Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) in collaboration with the University Management should review its policy on examinations and admissions process towards the improvement of the candidates' performance.