Who Succeeds in STEM Studies? Following the Funnel

Computer Science (CS), despite being an integral part of STEM education, remains less accessible to school students. This study examines the Challenge program, which enables high-achieving high school students to earn a B.Sc. degree in CS. Over two years, from 458 applicants, 160 passed the admission tests, but only 34 completed their degree. The admission process evaluated cognitive and affective characteristics based on intellectual potential framework, using SAT-M for mathematical competencies and Raven Progressive Matrices Test (RPMT) for general intelligence as program enrolment criteria. Students who passed the admission tests demonstrated higher general and mathematical creativity, enhanced working memory, and stronger motivation in areas of future learning goals, home-school dissonance, and parent mastery goal. Program completers showed significantly higher general and mathematical creativity and auditory working memory compared to non-completers. While SAT-M scores correlated significantly with performance in core mathematical courses (Linear Algebra, Discrete Mathematics, Calculus, and Probabilistic Methods), general creativity correlated with success in Calculus, Introduction to Hardware, and Probabilistic Methods. Notably, RPMT scores showed no correlation with academic performance. Our key finding reveals that general creativity significantly impacts students’ ability to complete CS studies, while mathematical competencies correlate only with specific courses. These results suggest that incorporating general creativity assessment alongside mathematical competencies could improve the admission process and potentially reduce dropout rates more effectively than the current RPMT requirement.