Conclusions

This analysis uncovered several metrics that are indicative of a student's successful graduation from different four-year universities. The metrics of SAT score, cost of attendance, size of the institution, and geographic region of the institution were all deemed significant. First, schools with higher average SAT scores produced higher completion rates. Second, schools with a higher average cost of attendance produced higher completion rates. Third, the completion rate was found to be dependent on the size of an institution as defined by its undergraduate enrollment, with larger schools producing higher completion rates. Finally, the geographic region was found to be significant when determining completion rate, with schools in the North East having higher completion rates compared to other geographic regions in the United States.

Overall, the results appear to be more helpful for prospective students as opposed to current students. A prospective student can look at this research and conclude that, as a general case, their best chance of successful completion of a Bachelor's degree would be to attend a large school located in the North East with a high average SAT score and high average cost of attendance. Although a student's successful completion of a Bachelor's degree is largely in their own control in terms of work ethic and personal goals, these four factors are certainly good for prospective students to consider when deciding on their college education pathway.

Suggestions for Future Analysis

As mentioned at the end of the Conditional Probability Tables portion of the Results section, more interesting insights can be obtained from a model that looks at the effects of combinations of variables on completion rate as opposed to just one variable. The example above highlighting the impact of Size and Region of school on completion rate is only one way of completing this type of analysis. The added level of specificity gained from these results exemplifies why this type of analysis is a good next step for one to take next. Similar combinations of variables, such as size and cost, would provide further understanding of the impacts on completion rate. Overall, this research has provided a launching point for the consideration of impacts on student success.