This study identified variables which would predict first semester grade point average of nursing students. A variety of academic, psychological, and sociological data were obtained for 630 students attending three schools of nursing within the state of Indiana over a three-year period. High school grade point average, Nelson-Denny vocabulary scores, and student identification of lowest acceptable grades in specific courses were consistently positively correlated with first semester grade point average across campuses and across years. Creativity scores and other biographical data were generally inconsistent predictors of first semester grade point average. (Author/RC)