Evaluating support strategies on university academic performance using statistical data analysis

This quantitative, longitudinal census-based study evaluates the impact of four institutional support strategies—tutoring, academic monitoring, academic counseling, and psychological counseling—on the performance of 5,068 engineering and industrial design students at a Colombian university. Analyzing 109,045 records from 2021 to 2024, the methodology involved diagnostic verification via Shapiro-Wilk, Breusch-Pagan, and Durbin-Watson tests, alongside Variance Inflation Factor analysis to ensure statistical robustness. A Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) model was employed to account for the nested data structure. Results indicate statistically significant positive associations between academic performance and psychological counseling (β = 0.058), tutoring (β = 0.018), and monitoring (β = 0.015). Conversely, academic counseling showed a negative association (β = -0.078), likely due to the specific risk profile of referred students. These findings emphasize the differential effectiveness of support mechanisms and highlight the critical importance of mental health interventions in promoting academic success within socioeconomically challenged higher education contexts, providing a framework for evidence-based institutional policy.