This quantitative exploratory study investigated factors related to the fail rate of first-year students in Introduction to General Chemistry courses (CHEM 1xx) at a mid-sized public research university. This course represents a gateway course for many scientific, medical, and healthcare majors. The sample consisted of 595 undergraduate students and used binary logistic regression to analyze the data. We found individual instructors were a significant predictor of students' grade in the Introduction to General Chemistry course. The students' American College Testing (ACT) math scores, SAT, or originally the Scholastic Aptitude Test, math scores, and high school grade point average (GPA) were also significant predictors. Interestingly, receipt of a Pell Grant was not a significant predictor of academic performance. Implications include course design, academic advising, tutoring and peer support, institutional research office reporting, as well as considerations for faculty course loads and emphasizing student success in the tenure and promotion process.