Investigating Students’ Academic Profiles and Admission Trends: Evidence from an Eleven-Year Study at a South African University

Students’ profiles are influenced by a variety of contextual variables. Over a period of eleven years, a variety of these variables was selected to determine why some students perform better than others. The main purpose of this paper is to record and report on the results of the investigation. The main research task was to document combinations of variables and admission requirements according to students’ profiles (N = 9035), and to identify trends and possible patterns contributing to the success of educational studies. The integrated theoretical lens aligns with South Africa’s national focus on equity, access, and success, providing insight into how institutional practices and student diversity intersect. A quantitative research method was used. The study concluded that unique combinations of variables contribute to first-year accounting students’ success. The value of the study contributes to student profiles, in particular, gender, race, marks and subject choices, pre-university knowledge and admission requirements that could predict student success.