The Association Between Types of Admission Selection and Academic Achievement of First-Year Medical Students

Background: Academic achievement is a form to measure students' competency level and academic progress. Admission selection entry routes influence academic achievement. Several factors that can influence student academic achievement come from internal factors, including intelligence, self-concept, motivation, psychological condition, and talent. Besides that, academic achievement is also influenced by external factors, including the academic environment, family support, and social status. This study examined the association between the admission selection entry route and the academic achievement of first-year medical students at the Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University. Objective: To determine the relationship between the entry selection route and the academic achievement of first-year medical students. Methods: This research was carried out at the Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, in May–October 2023, with the subjects being first-year medical students. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. The One-way ANOVA test was conducted to determine the mean difference of GPA with different admission selection entries. The p-value is considered significant if p<0.05. Results: 239 students with an average age of 19.17±0.39 years were involved. Most subjects are women (64.4%) with an average GPA of 3.57±0.32. Thirty-four (14.2%) had academic achievements, with 12.1% having academic achievements ≤3 and 2.1% having >3. Thirteen percent have academic achievements at the national level, and 1.3% at the international level. There is a significant difference between the average GPA based on the admission selection entry route, which was found to be significant between the SNMPTN and the Independent Selection route (p<0.001) and between the SBMPTN and the Independent Selection route (p<0.001). Conclusion: There are significant differences in the academic performance of first-year medical students based on the admission selection entry.