Admissions Criteria and Academic Performance in the AFIT Graduate Cost Analysis Program

This research examined the admissions criteria used by the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) to determine academic eligibility for the in- residence Graduate Cost Analysis (GCA) master's degree program. Using the cumulative graduate grade point average earned at AFIT as the measure of academic performance, comparisons were made between the predictive capability of the current criteria and other potential factors. Factors considered included scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), undergraduate cumulative and math grade point averages, applicant's age and gender, ratings of the undergraduate school's admissions competitiveness, undergraduate degree type, and various measures of the applicant's time in military service. Predictive models were developed using stepwise linear regression. This research found the GMAT is more useful than the GRE as a predictor of GGPA in the AFIT GCA program. The optimal model accounted for up to 45% of the variance in GGPA, and included the GMAT Verbal score, UGPA, and a dichotomous indicator of prior service as a member of the military enlisted corps.Air Force Inst of Tech Wright-Patterson AFB OH School of Engineering and Management is the author of 'Admissions Criteria and Academic Performance in the AFIT Graduate Cost Analysis Program', published 2002 under ISBN 9781423511861 and ISBN 1423511867.