Analysis of the Convergence Process in the Academic Performance: The Case of a Chilean University

Abstract

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The paper's goal is to assess if university colleges are able to reduce the academic heterogeneity of their first year students throughout the students' academic career. This paper is based on economic development literature, from where the idea of beta (β) convergence is taken, which measures the extent to which the scores of students presenting lower academic performance improve to become similar to those of students showing better academic performance. In order to analyze the variance of the students' scores throughout their academic cycle we use the sigma (σ) convergence. The major findings show that both students' gender and scores obtained in the National University Admission Exam to enter the university are the main variables that explain β convergence.