The expansion of higher education has led to greater diversity among students, with a significant portion of them aged 25 and above. This demographic group represents a range of intersecting identities associated with their different roles, responsibilities, and life trajectories. While older students face obstacles to engagement, persistence, and success, they also bring unique strengths that inform the educational experience. This research employs a quantitative approach to explore the perceptions of bachelor's degree students regarding belonging, self-efficacy, and motivation as student engagement factors and how these perceptions influence their persistence and academic achievement during the first year, with a focus on older students. The study compares the academic achievement of mature-aged and younger students. An analysis using ordinal logistic regression indicates that age, self-efficacy, and motivation are potential predictors of academic achievement, which in turn correlates with persistence. The findings suggest that mature-aged students are more likely to perform better academically than younger students. These students report elevated confidence in their ability to study at the university level and are intrinsically motivated to learn. Based on these findings, the study discusses implications for student engagement strategies, transition and retention support, and avenues for future research.