This study examines the level of a student's performance based on incoming knowledge in an intermediate macroeconomic and microeconomic course at a major mid-western university. Analysis of student understanding of specific economic concepts was accessed through the Test of Understanding College Economics, 4th Edition (TUCE) (Walstad,Watts & Rebeck, 2007), micro version for the intermediate microeconomics students and macro version for the macroeconomics students. Students were administered the test at the start of the semester-long courses and, in addition, completed a survey about factors related to their performance on the TUCE. The question of primary interest was whether there was a relationship between the type of institution in which the introductory economic course was taken and how well the individual student performed on the appropriate version of the TUCE-4. There were 162 students who participated in this study during the fall semester of 2010, 82 in the intermediate macroeconomics course and 82 in the intermediate microeconomics course. Data from students who took the introductory course at a university or a community college were the subjects of this study. An independent samples t-test was conducted to test for differences between the two groups in students' performance on the TUCE-4. Multiple regression analyses were used to investigate the relationship between the various individual students and instructor characteristics and the location of the principles of economics course and their effect on the dependent variable. In both the macroeconomic and microeconomic sample, the results indicated that there was not a statistically significant difference in the students' scores based on where they completed their principles of economics course. The statistically significant predictor in the macroeconomic sample was ACT. In the microeconomic sample, the statistically significant predictor of success on the TUCE-4 was introductory grade received in the principles of economics course. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]