Factors Affecting the Academic Performance of CEBA Students: The Role of Bridging Program

The K to 12 program in the Philippines allows Senior High School (SHS) students to select a track that provides specialized courses and track-specific competencies. SHS graduates are encouraged to pursue related higher education programs but are not restricted from pursuing unrelated degrees. Therefore, students not in the Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM) track may still enroll in business programs. Consequently, the CEBA of MSU-IIT has implemented a bridging program for non-ABM SHS graduates to help them gain the necessary business competencies. The study aimed to assess the impact of the bridging program and other factors on academic performance. Using a quantitative research design, data were collected from 269 third- and fourth-year CEBA students during the academic year 2021–2022. The analysis employing multiple linear regression revealed a strong and statistically significant association between the university entrance exam score and participation in the bridging program. Results of the t-test showed that there is no significant difference between the academic performance of ABM and non-ABM students, implying that the bridging program has closed the gap in competencies.