Six Troy University students are putting their data analytics skills to the test in an international competition that challenges participants to use machine learning and statistical modeling to make real-world business decisions.

Students in BA 4440 Business Data Mining II in the Sorrell College of Business are participating in the SAS Hackathon 2026, using the competition as the final project for the course.

Dr. Cali Davis, an Associate Professor in the Sorrell College of Business, said the timing of the hackathon provided an opportunity to give students an authentic business analytics experience while applying skills developed throughout the two-course data mining sequence.

“I typically do a final project in the course using real-world data, the tools learned in the two-course data mining sequence, and the ability to compile it all in order to make a business decision are important skills for business analytics students” Davis said. “The timing with the SAS Hackathon lined up with the class schedule for the month of October to help make this the final project.”

The students registered individually for the competition and are being given class time to work on the challenge. They will submit their final results to SAS at the end of October before continuing in November to refine their models and develop a professional presentation of their findings.

This year’s challenge, the iLink Capital Bank Auto Loan Challenge, asks participants to act as data scientists for a fictional bank seeking to improve its auto loan approval process.

Students must analyze historical loan data and develop a credit-risk strategy that identifies which future applicants should be approved for financing. The challenge requires them to use machine learning, statistical modeling and business judgment to balance the risks of approving unqualified borrowers against the potential losses from rejecting qualified applicants.

Rather than simply predicting the probability that an applicant will default, participants must use their analysis to make final lending decisions.

The challenge closely mirrors the work students have been learning in their data mining courses, including data management, data cleaning and predictive modeling using techniques such as regression, decision trees and neural networks. Students are using SAS Viya for Learners, software they have learned to use in class.

“The hackathon work has no key and is completely unscripted,” Davis said. “As the instructor, I can answer basic questions, but most of the work is using what they have learned about data mining to approach a business decision in a banking environment.”

Davis said the experience also gives students an opportunity to learn how to work with the imperfect data they are likely to encounter in their careers.

“The students are using analytics tools to work with a large data set in order to help answer a business question,” Davis said. “Being able to work with ‘dirty’ data and not panic is going to be a huge part of what the students do in any analytics career.”

More than 200 participants from around the world are taking part in the competition, giving the TROY students an opportunity to test their skills against students from other institutions.

“It is also fun that I don’t have the answer key on this one,” Davis said. “The students are searching for solutions and teaching me along the way too.”

The hackathon also builds on TROY’s partnership with SAS through the SAS Academic Specialization Program. The Sorrell College of Business began participating in the program in December 2024.

Through the program, students who successfully complete BA 3310 Introduction to Information Systems and Data Analytics, BA 4410 Business Data Mining and BA 4440 Business Data Mining II can earn a SAS specialization badge that can be displayed digitally on a resume or LinkedIn profile.

The partnership also provides students and instructors with access to free or discounted SAS training, certification exam discounts, workshops and opportunities to connect with potential employers.

Ten TROY students have earned the SAS credential since the program began, and the six students participating in this year’s hackathon are on track to earn the credential. 

The SAS Hackathon leaderboard closes at noon Eastern time Oct. 30. Winners will be contacted in early November, with winners announced Dec. 16.