Abstract

GALLARDO ALLEN, EUGENIA; MOLINA-DELGADO, MAURICIO  and  CORDERO CANTILLO, REBECA. Survival analysis applied to the time frame required for higher education degree attainment: the case of the University of Costa Rica. Pág. Educ. [online]. 2016, vol.9, n.1, pp.61-87. ISSN 1688-7468.

The paper analyzes the time frame required for bachelor degree attainment, as well as its relation with socio-demographic variables and academic aptitude. A follow-up study of students entering the University of Costa Rica between 2000 and 2003 was conducted up until 2010. The data were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier survival curves. A higher probability of early graduation was found in women and students enrolled in branch campuses. Moreover, Cox regression models were estimated, showing a negative correlation between the time frame required for obtaining the bachelor degree, on one hand, and the score obtained in an academic aptitude test, the type of high school (public/private), and whether the student had received financial aid from the university, on the other. The results show a trend in students with higher academic aptitude of successfully finishing their studies earlier. Furthermore, socioeconomic condition does not have a significant effect. The authors claim that this pattern is due to the role of the financial aid system of the university

Keywords : Degree Attainment; survival analysis; Kaplan-Meier; Cox regression; financial aid.

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