Asian Journal of Research in Nursing and Health

Student attrition in nursing education remains a continuing concern, particularly in private institutions where students face academic, personal, and socioeconomic challenges. Understanding the factors that influence nursing students’ intention to complete their program is essential in strengthening retention efforts and ensuring workforce sustainability. Guided by Social Cognitive Theory, this study aimed to determine how selected motivators, including passion, socioeconomic status, family influence, and Nursing Aptitude Test (NAT) results, influence first-year nursing students’ intention to complete the nursing course in a private school in Iloilo. A descriptive-correlational research design was utilized. Ethical clearance was sought prior to data collection. Data were gathered from 237 first-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing students using a validated researcher-made questionnaire composed of Likert-scale items measuring passion, family influence, and intention to complete the program. Descriptive and inferential statistical tests were employed to analyze the data. Results revealed high levels of passion, strong family influence, and a high intention to complete the nursing program. Sex, NAT scores, and monthly family income were not significantly related to intention to complete. In contrast, passion and family influence demonstrated significant positive relationships with students’ intention to finish the course. These findings highlight the importance of intrinsic motivation and supportive family environments in sustaining academic persistence. Strengthening initiatives that cultivate professional passion and promote family engagement may enhance retention and program completion among nursing students.