English Language Proficiency and Academic Performance: A Survey of First-Year Students at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria

This study investigates the relationship between English language proficiency and academic performance among first-year undergraduate students at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, North West Nigeria. English is the medium of instruction at all Nigerian universities, yet students enter tertiary education with widely varying levels of English proficiency shaped by the quality of secondary schooling, geographic location, and linguistic background. Understanding the specific ways in which language proficiency affects early academic performance is essential for designing effective support programmes. The study employs a survey research design, administering a standardised English proficiency test and collecting first-semester grade point averages from 200 first-year students drawn from five faculties through stratified random sampling. Correlation and regression analyses were used to examine the relationship between proficiency scores and GPA. Findings indicate a significant positive correlation between English proficiency and academic GPA across all five faculties sampled, with Arts and Social Science students showing a stronger relationship than Science and Engineering students, where mathematical competence partially compensates for lower verbal proficiency. Students from rural secondary schools in Katsina and Sokoto feeders perform significantly below urban ABU entrants on the proficiency test. The study identifies reading comprehension and academic writing as the most critically deficient skill areas among lower-performing students. Recommendations include the expansion of ABU's remedial English programme and the development of faculty-specific academic English support modules. Keywords: English proficiency, academic performance, first-year students, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.