Comparison of psychological problems and academic fields of study in successful and unsuccessful university students

Aim: The aim of this study was to identify the effects of field of study and psychological problems in causing drop in GPA in Iranian university students.
Method was causal-comparative. The statistical population was students of Shahid Beheshti University (7650 students). Of these, 90 students consisting of 30 students who had failed and were thus on "probation", 30 students who had passed normally and 30 students who had excellent grades and were labelled "successful" were selected and participated in the study. Research instruments were raven's progressive matrices (Rahmani, 2007) and the symptoms cheklist-90, SCL-90, (Derogatis and Cleary 1973).
Results showed that average high school grade, entrance exam grade, intelligence and all of the mental health indices (except paranoid ideation, and psychoticism).
These differences as underlying factors that contribute to student's academic achievement are discussed. Hence the university system may be able to prevent failure and drop in academic performance in students and also strengthen the ability of freshmen whose high school grades are lower by implementing educational programs. The present study also suggests possible psychological intervention programs in this regard.