A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

This study statistically examined the impact of choice of study programme, gender, age at admission, and ethnic affiliation on students’ academic performance in the University of Benin. The main objective was to determine the extent to which these variables influence students’ academic outcomes. A quantitative research design was adopted, and data were collected from undergraduate students across various faculties using structured questionnaires. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) through descriptive statistics, chi-square test of independence and multiple regression analysis.The results revealed that the first choice of study programme had a significant influence on students’ academic performance, indicating that students who were given their first choice performed better than those who were placed in programmes by external influence. However, the demographic variables—gender, age at admission, and ethnic affiliation—did not show statistically significant effects on academic performance. This implies that while demographic characteristics may influence students’ experiences, they do not independently determine academic achievement in the University of Benin based on this study. The study concludes that academic performance is more strongly influenced by students’ motivation and programme alignment as encapsulated in their first choice course of study than by demographic differences.