The article provides an empirical investigation into the impact of attendance and student characteristics on academic achievement in higher education. It is based on a study of 127 students who completed coursework for a taught undergraduate business management module at London Metropolitan University between 2003/4 and 2005/6. The article concludes that there is a significant positive correlation between attendance and academic achievement. However, regression analysis suggests that students who attend are already predisposed to academic achievement and that their propensity to achieve is largely determined by entry qualifications, age, cultural background, work and course. Student characteristics that were not found to have a significant impact on academic achievement include mode of study, gender, living arrangements, commuting time, marital and dependency status, language and nationality.