Does the scholarship make a difference? An analysis of the academic performance of undergraduate students in the business area

Abstract

This research sought to analyze the relationship between the scholarship modalities and the academic performance of undergraduate students in the business area. Based on the literature, two hypotheses were formulated: (i) students who receive academic scholarships have better academic performance in relation to those who do not receive them and (ii) the modalities of academic scholarships have a positive relationship with academic performance. Data from the 2018 National Student Performance Exam were used, resulting in a sample of 83,003 observations. The results of Welch’s t-tests indicated that scholarship students have better academic performance than non-scholarship students and the regression models pointed out that the scholarship modality is positively associated with student performance. Therefore, both hypotheses were supported. This evidence suggests that the educational policies related to the awarding of academic scholarships within the scope of undergraduate programs in the business area are relevant and that the entities can continuously improve these policies, especially when there are changes in the social and economic contexts. However, the values of the scholarships were not examined, but only their grant and modality, opening space for investigations, especially in times of budget constraint, as caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.