Abstract of thesis entitled “Are Risk Aversion and Time Impatience Related to Academic Performance? An Experimental Study of Students in Macau”, submitted by Jin, Wei (M-B1-5626-6) for the degree of the Master of Social Sciences at the University of Macau in May 2013. Current studies find that personal characteristics and cognitive ability play an important role in determining the academic performance of students in Psychology and Education. Recently, there are an increasing number of studies discussing the relationship of cognitive ability with risk aversion and time impatience. This thesis analyzes whether risk aversion and time impatience have any effect on a student’s academic performance. The main finding of this thesis is that academic performance is significantly related to (Intelligence Quotient) IQ; however, academic performance is not correlated with risk aversion or time impatience. The conclusion still holds after controlling the participant’s personal characteristics. A possible reason for this lack of correlation is that academic activities for students are strictly controlled, well scheduled, and monitored: there is less uncertainty and less scheduling over time for academic activity.