Predicting academic success in undergraduate students from the Nutrition and Dietetics degree program from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

Introduction: Identifying the factors that determine academic success can help design strategies focused on increasing academic success. We aimed to identify predictors associated with academic success in undergraduate students of the Nutrition and Dietetics Program of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC). Methods: Retrospective study using the institutional database. Academic success was the main outcome, including two indexes: i) final grade point average (GPA-f) and; ii) timely graduation, defined as graduating in ≤10 semesters. Candidate predictors were: age, sex, region of origin, school attended, score at the university selection test (PSU-score), admission route, and preference for the program. Stepwise linear regression was used to identify predictors of GPA-f. Binary logistic regression was used to identify variables associated with timely graduation. Results: PSU-score was the only predictor of GPA, explaining 24% of its variance. The odds (OR [95%CI]) for a timely graduation were influenced by PSU-score (1.017 [1.003–1.031]) and admission route (PSU 1.00 [Reference], Inclusive 0.30 [0.10–0.96], Special 0.46 [0.13–1.57]). Conclusions and implications: PSU-score partially predicts the academic success of Nutrition and Dietetics students. In addition, students who accessed the program by the equity admission had lower odds of a timely graduation. As educational inequalities may affect academic success, the teaching and learning process needs to be addressed with specific strategies for these students to ensure academic success.