Undergraduate Completion Cycle: A Study on Timely Bachelor’s Degree, Graduation and Degree at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Universidad of Chile

Abstract

The increase in university enrollment since the end of the 20th century, both internationally and in Latin America, has transformed the higher education institutions panorama. In this context, one of the issues addressed by research and management in higher education is how to ensure successful academic paths in these new scenarios. Thus, this research investigates the factors that correspond to a bachelor's degree, graduation, and timely degree completion in the students of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Chile. Multiple Correspondence Analysis is used to integrate the variables of graduation, bachelor's degree and timely degree completion, together with socioeconomic and academic independent variables. The results show that the pre-university academic qualifications, and the performance within the degree program are variables that motivate more timely degree completion and graduation. In the case of Psychology, the correspondence between the low socioeconomic level and the bachelor's degree and timely degree completion is observed, contrary to the intuition that a lower socioeconomic level would imply a worse performance. Thus, it would be interesting to evaluate in depth the case of Psychology, seeking strategies to ensure the successful academic progression of students.