Multi-group comparison of academic adaptation pathways according to college admission criteria: Focussing on D university

Objectives This study was conducted to investigate whether there are differences in academic adaptation trajectories among multiple groups based on admission criteria. Methods For analysis, we obtained cooperation from the CS Center on campus and collected data from 17,969 students enrolled in the 2022 academic year. Descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were performed to determine the data normality and the relationship among variables. In addition, the Mplus program was used to analyze a structural equation model that established the relationship among department satisfaction, student support infrastructure, academic commitment, and GPA, and a multigroup analysis was conducted to verify the difference in pathways between groups according to the admission criteria. Results The structural model, which posits that department satisfaction and student support infrastructure influence GPA through departmental immersion, was found to be appropriate. In the multi-group analysis results comparing four groups—comprehensive student record admission, outstanding academic record admission, regular admission, and transfer admission—statistically significant differences in path coefficients were observed when comparing the comprehensive student record admission group with both the regular admission group and the outstanding academic record admission group. Conclusions It was found that there are differences in the relative impact of satisfaction and support infrastructure on departmental immersion depending on the type of admission. This finding suggests that such information could serve as foundational data for shaping student support policies.