Second Language Proficiency and Academic Performance in English-Medium Instruction: A Study at a Sino-Foreign University in China

This study tests how initial English proficiency (Gaokao English), gender, province of origin, and semester timing relate to undergraduate GPA at a Sino-foreign English-medium instruction (EMI) university in China. Design/Methodology/Approach: We conducted an exploratory analysis of institutional records from 2019 to 2022 (≈4,000 undergraduates; 16,281 GPAs), modelling GPA as a function of Gaokao English scores, gender, province, and semester (spring vs autumn), and applying regression and non-parametric tests with effect sizes. Findings: All focal variables showed statistically detectable but small associations with GPA, indicating theoretical rather than practical salience. Females earned higher GPAs than males; GPAs differed by province yet not in line with regional economic levels; and spring GPAs modestly exceeded fall GPAs. The English proficiency–GPA association was positive but weak and diminished across years of study. Research limitations and implications: Evidence derives from a single institution and one EMI context, with pandemic-period semesters and limited covariates; results invite multi-institution replication and richer controls. Practical implications: Given the small effects, proportionate, program-level supports are indicated (e.g. early-semester academic-language scaffolding, light-touch diagnostics) rather than high-stakes screening. The patterns can inform resource allocation and the timing of supports. Originality/value: Using a large multi-year dataset from a Chinese EMI university, the study isolates language-of-instruction influences from cultural relocation and examines how English proficiency and background factors jointly relate to achievement, filling a gap on EMI outcomes in non-Western contexts and providing evidence to guide English-medium higher-education practice.