Glossary Of College Terminology

Academic Calendar: How a school year is divided: usually into three quarters that last from 10-11 weeks, or two semesters that last from 17-18 weeks, or 3 trimesters that usually last about three months each.

Acceptance: candidate has been admitted, having met the standards set by the college or school.

Accommodations: Upon being found eligible by the Services for Students with Disabilities departments for College Board (SAT and Subject Tests) and ACT, receiving one or more of the following: Extended time, larger print test booklets, permission to bring snacks or mediation to the test site, extra breaks, sign language interpreter, Braille edition of a test, audiocassette version of a test, a reader to read a test, a writer to record student responses.

Accreditation: recognition of a college/university by a regional or national accrediting body indicating that the institution has met their standards.

Alumni (plural) Alumna (female singular), Alumnus (male singular): Graduates/graduate of an educational institution.

American College Test (ACT): a standardized achievement test often required for college
admissions. The 4-hour test, offered six times annually, covers English, math, reading and science. The highest possible score is 36. (The ACT with writing test, measuring skill in planning and writing a short essay, is required by some colleges).

Advanced Placement (AP): high schools implement AP courses and administer the exams at the end of the school year. College credit is granted dependent upon success on the exam.

Apprenticeship: during a prescribed time period, a worker learns an occupation (usually a trade) in a structured program.

Associate of Arts (AA): A two-year college degree given by community colleges after a prescribed course of study has been completed.
ASVAB: a test that is taken by those wishing to enter the military. This test shows your ability to learn certain skills and your interests. Many schools give this test to their juniors.

Award letter: An official document issued by a college’s financial aid office listing all the financial aid awarded to the student. This letter details the analysis of the student’s financial need and the breakdown of the financial aid package according to amount, source, and type of aid. The award letter includes the terms and conditions for the financial aid and information about the cost of attendance.

Bachelor’s Degree: a degree that is granted after the satisfactory completion of a
four-year program of study-usually at a college or university.

Candidate’s Reply Date: At most schools, May 1st is the date by which accepted applicants must indicate their intention to enroll. By use of a common reply date, students may evaluate all notices of admission and financial aid awards before deciding on any one college.

Coalition Application: The online application for more than 150 colleges.

College Entrance Exams: tests that are used by colleges or universities for evaluation of applicants for admission and/or placement in courses. Tests used most often are SAT, ACT and Accuplacer.

Community College (Junior College): regionally accredited, post-secondary institution where an associate degree is the highest degree awarded. Certification programs and non-credit courses are also available.

Core classes (CPA): a calculation of grades earned in Math, English, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Language and Fine Arts.

College Admission: notification from a college or university to which you applied that you have meet the necessary requirements and you are accepted.

College Advisor: a staff member or professor who helps a student plan and complete a course of study at a college or university.

College Application: a form that must be completed to be considered for entry into a university, community college, technical school or to be considered for scholarships.

College Board: An organization that sponsors the SAT, the SAT Subject Tests, the Advanced Placement Tests, and the CSS Profile financial Aid form.

College Coach/Consultant: Private, paid counselors who provide high school students with admissions information, advice, and coaching.

College Fair: A large gathering of college admissions representatives available to speak with prospective applicants, usually sponsored by the National Association of College Admission Counseling in different locations throughout the US.

College Interview: Lasting from 15 minutes to an hour, a meeting between an admissions representative (college official, alumnus or alumna) of a college and a prospective student for the purpose of exchanging information, asking and answering questions, and sometimes evaluating a student’s qualifications.

College List: A list of colleges or more that match a student’s academic background, as well as his or her intellectual, personal, social, emotional, financial, spiritual, and other needs and desires.

College Preparatory Courses: Courses offered by high schools that meet required or recommended subject requirements necessary for admission to colleges.

College Representative: An admissions officer assigned to a particular high school, city, or geographic area. This person often is the first admissions official to read a student’s application.

College Rankings: Based on different criteria, how colleges measure up against one another as defined by the likes of US News & World Report and others.

College Scholarship Service (CSS) PROFILE: A financial aid form provided by the College Board that is required by many colleges and universities.

College Transfer Courses: courses intended for transfer of college credit to a bachelor’s degree program in a 4-year college or university.

Commencement: A formal graduation ceremony that celebrates recent graduates of the institution with their family and friends.

Common Application: A platform that allows students to apply to approximately 900 colleges that may be filled out and sent to a consortium of member colleges in a more streamlined way instead of submitting each school’s individual application. Some colleges also require their own supplemental forms.

Consortium Colleges: A group of colleges that offer joint academic programs, cross-registration for classes, and shared, activity, social, athletic, and other programs.

Cost of Attendance (COA): price of attending a college for one year.

Course Load: the total amount of courses a student is taking per term.

Course of Study: Group of courses students are required to take in order to earn a college degree; a major.

Credit (or Credit Hour): a unit of measurement for fulfilling course requirements. Most colleges require that you complete a certain number in order to graduate.

Class Rank: a student’s standing in his/her graduating class that is based on GPA and honors classes. It is expressed in percentages.

Deferment: A period in which student loan repayment is not required.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program: A kind of administrative relief from deportation. The policy allows young children (under the age of 16) who came to the U.S. without documentation, and have been educated by US school systems, the opportunity to remain in the U.S. by following specific guidelines.

Deferred Admission: the postponing of admission for one year after being accepted into the college or university.

Demonstrated Need: The difference between a family’s contribution as determined on the FAFSA or CSS Profile and the total cost of attending a college.

Denial of Admission Letter: A formal acknowledgment by a college that a student has not been admitted.

Disadvantaged Student: A student who has not had access to the education, background, resources, and services that many other students usually have access.

Doctoral Degree: The most advanced academic degree in most fields. Provides the graduate a high level of expertise and greater options for research, writing, teaching and management within their specialty.

Dormitories: Campus housing where full-time students live within close distance of the academic buildings.

Dreamers: Individuals who would have qualified under the DREAM Act are often referred to as Dreamers. The term has been used to define individuals in the U.S. who were brought to the country at an early age without documentation but have assimilated to the U.S. culture and have been educated by U.S. school systems. Not all immigrant youth identify as Dreamers.

Dual Enrollment: A student in high school is also taking courses from an institution of higher learning, such as a community college or university. The college classes the student takes, typically count toward their high school diploma, as well as college credit.

Early Action: an accelerated application process for certain colleges and universities. Notice of acceptance, denial, or deferment is provided by the school with no obligation to the university to enroll.

Early Admission: A program in which colleges or universities admit outstanding students before the usual admissions date. This can also mean the admission of students before they complete high school.

Early Decision: Many colleges offer this plan to applicants who are sure they want to attend the college. This college should clearly be the applicant’s first choice. Traditionally, the deadline for early decision applications has been November 1st or 15th. Colleges then render a decision by mid-December. However, it is common that students will not be informed of their financial aid package at the time they are admitted. If financial aid is a significant issue in choosing a college, applying early decision is NOT to the student’s advantage. If accepted under this plan, the student is under strong ethical obligation to attend the college and to withdraw or forego applications to all other colleges.

Early Decision II (EDII): A few colleges offer a second round of Early Decision with due dates in the first part of January and notification usually within six weeks. These are also binding contract programs. Again, students may also be denied or deferred.

Elective: A high school or college course that a student may take, but which is not required to graduate.

Enrollment Status: an indicator of whether you are attending part-time or full-time.

Entrance Requirements: Also called admission requirements, many colleges require applicants to submit an application, transcripts, and standardized test scores among other materials. Not to be confused with prerequisites.

Expected Family Contribution (EFC): The amount of money the family is expected to contribute to the student’s education as determined by a need analysis formula approved by Congress. The EFC includes the parents’ contribution and the students’ contribution, and depends on the student’s dependency status, family status, number of family members in school, taxable and non-taxable income and assets. The EFC is calculated upon submission of the FAFSA form.

Extracurricular Activities: Any formal or informal involvements pursued by students during high school in addition to their regular classes and homework, including sports, volunteer and/or paid work, hobbies, travel, artistic or musical interests, etc. either in or outside of school.

Federal Direct Loan Program: Low interest, subsidized and unsubsidized educational loans made by the federal government to students and parents through the schools. (Also known as Stafford Loans).

Federal Work Study: a federal financial aid program that provides on and off campus work for college students. You qualify for this program through FAFSA.

Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID: A username and password used by current and prospective students and their parents to log into U.S. Department of Education websites including the FAFSA website. The ID is used to sign documents electronically (it has the same legal status as a written signature).

Fee Waiver: An exemption given by a college to disadvantaged students from paying a college application fees and ACT/SAT fees based on financial need.

Financial Aid Package: Financial Aid Packages are also referred to as Award Letter, Award Notice, or Financial Aid Offer. Although it is important to note that not all forms of aid included in an offer are awards (that do not have to be paid back such as grants and scholarships). There are different types of aid including loans, work-study, scholarships, and grants. Depending on the package, sometimes it can be cheaper for a student to attend an expensive school because more aid is offered to offset the cost. Therefore, it is important to apply to the schools you want to attend, even if you don’t think you can afford it.

First-generation Student: A college student who is the first in their family to go to college.

Fraternities and Sororities: Social and academic organizations for college students formed to pursue a common goal or ideals. Most are identified by letters of the Greek alphabet (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, etc.) and as whole comprise a school’s Greek life.

Higher Education: Refers to any formal schooling after high school.

Four-year University: A postsecondary institution/school that offers undergraduate (bachelor’s) degrees. Many four-year universities also offer graduate (master’s) degrees.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): the first step in applying for financial aid in which financial information is gathered from the student and family. It is a form students must file in order to be considered for federal aid programs. There is no fee to apply for federal student aid. FAFSA can be completed online at: www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Full-time Student: A student who enrolls in at least a minimum number (determined by your college or university) of credit hours or courses.

Gap Year: A break in schooling that some students take between high school graduation and their first year of college.

General Education requirements (Breadth requirements): Usually required during the first two years of college, a list of courses from various academic departments that a student must take to graduate.

Grade Point Average (GPA): a calculation of grades earned in coursework.

Grant: money given by a government or other organization for a particular purpose and does not require repayment.

Greeks: fraternities and sororities on a college campus. The term “Greek” comes from the Greek letters used as names for the organizations (e.g., Alpha Kappa Alpha).

Honors Program: a program that offers an opportunity for students to enrich their educational experience through independent, advanced or accelerated classes.

Income-Driven Repayment Plan: A loan repayment plan where monthly payments are based on the borrower’s income and number of dependents.

Independent Counselors: Private, paid counselors who provide high school students with admissions information, advice, and coaching.

Independent Study: a program that allows a student to earn college credit through independent study with a faculty member.

Internship: A job in a student’s field of study which may be required in some academic programs and may provide salary and/or college credit.

Ivy League: A group of long-established colleges and universities in the eastern U.S. having high academic and social prestige. It includes Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Dartmouth, Cornell, Brown, and the University of Pennsylvania.

Job Shadowing: a program by which a student observes employees in a workplace to gain insight about a career or job field.

Legacy: A college applicant whose parents and/or grandparents have attended a specific college, which sometimes gives them an edge in admissions.

Letter of Recommendation: a letter that supports a student’s application to a college for a scholarship. The letter is written by someone who knows you well (not a family member) who can write positively about you.

Loans: Money that is borrowed to pay for higher education and must be paid back with or without interest.

Major Course of Study: a course of study in one subject in which the student specializes in at a college or university.

Master’s Degree: An academic degree conferred by a college or university upon those who complete a prescribed study beyond the bachelor’s degree.

Merit-Based Aid: Financial aid that is merit-based depends on academic, artistic, or athletic merit, or some other criteria, and does not depend on the existence of financial need. Merit-based awards look at grades, test scores, hobbies, and special talents to determine eligibility for scholarships.

Minor Course of Study: a course of study in a secondary subject in which the student specializes in at a college or university. Minors allow students to diversify their courses of study.

Minority: usually referred to individuals from African American, Native American, and
Hispanic American backgrounds.

NCAA Clearinghouse: Prospective student-athletes at Division I or II institutions have certain responsibilities to attend to before they may participate. Information concerning who needs to register with the Clearinghouse and what documents should be submitted can be found in the NCAA Guide for the College-Bound Student-Athlete at http://www.ncaapublications.com, or by calling 1-800-638-3731.

NCAA & NAIA: the organizations that certifies athletes for competition in Division
I & II intercollegiate athletics.

Need-Blind Admissions Policy: An admission policy that does not take into consideration a student’s ability to pay when reviewing his/her application.

Official Transcript: Most colleges will only accept a transcript that bears the high school seal and is sent directly from the high school.

Open Admissions: students are admitted regardless of academic qualifications community colleges have an open admission policy.

Orientation: A meeting/event many colleges offer (hours or days-long) where incoming students and parents/guardians receive information about registering for classes, meet their advisor, and learn about school resources and policies.

Out-of-State Students: students attending a public university outside of their state. Higher tuition rates may apply until state residency is established.

Parent Plus Loan: The Parent PLUS Loan is a federal student loan available to the parents of dependent undergraduate students. The Parent PLUS Loan offers a fixed interest rate and flexible loan limits. To be eligible, a parent can’t have an adverse credit history.

Pell Grant: A federal award given to undergraduate students who demonstrate financial need to help pay for college and it does not have to be paid back. Pell grants are awarded to U.S. citizens and legal residents based on both financial need and timeliness of completing the FAFSA.

Perkins Loan: A campus-administered program that provides low-interest loans to students with exceptionally high financial need.

Placement Test: Colleges and universities may require students to take tests to determine the appropriate level college math and/or English class.

Plagiarism: Taking credit for someone else’s work as your own including copying words, sentence structure or ideas. Plagiarism has very grave consequences in higher education.

PLUS Loan: Parents with good credit can borrow up to the full cost of education minus any other financial aid received by the student. According to the law, a financial aid form does not have to be filed to be eligible; however, many lenders require it. Postsecondary Education: any education beyond high school, including, community college, university, technical school, etc.

Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT): A practice test for underclassmen to prepare for the SAT. National Merit Scholars are chosen from this test.

Pre-requisite Course: A course or courses that must be successfully completed before a student can enroll in the next level course or more advanced courses.

Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT): Acts as both a practice test for students who will be taking the SAT for college admissions and as a way for the Collage Board to determine National Merit Scholarship Finalists.

Private College vs. Public College: Public colleges and universities are funded by state governments while private colleges and universities are not publicly owned, often relying on tuition payments and private contributions to operate.

Probation: Academic probation means a student has fallen from good standing status and is at risk of being dismissed from the university. Institutions measure academic standing by GPA and courses passed. Policies regarding this will vary depending on the institution.

Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC): Air Force, Army and Navy programs at the college level that combines military education with bachelor’s degree study. A commitment to military service is part of this college program.

Resident: A student who lives in and meets the residency requirements for the state where a public university is located.

Residence Hall/Dormitory: A building on campus that provides on-campus living/sleeping quarters for large numbers of students.

Resume: an outline of your life as a high school student that contains information about your education, jobs, community service and educational and career goals.

Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. (ROTC): Program to train college students to become officers in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Rolling Admission: An admission procedure at some schools, notably larger public universities, in which applications are accepted, evaluated and decided upon as they are received (from as early as September until a final deadline sometime in the spring). This is done on a continuing basis.

Room & Board: The cost or charges stemming from a room in a dormitory and a dining hall meal plan for on-campus food services and housing at a college or university.

Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT): a college widely used entrance exam that is required by most colleges and universities to measure math and verbal skills. A writing assessment is now optional. The SAT is offered several times a year in the US that includes Critical Reading, Mathematics and Writing sections scored on a scale of 200-800. A total perfect score is 1600.

Scholarship: a merit-based award of money to be used for college costs.

Stafford Loan: A direct federal loan with fixed interest rates.

Subsidized vs. Unsubsidized Loan: If a student receives a subsidized loan, the U.S Department of Education pays all interest accrued during school, the 6-month grace period and deferment. Students with unsubsidized loans must pay interest either while in school or have the accrued interest added to the principal loan balance.

Student Aid Report (SAR): notifies a student that their FAFSA has been processed. The SAR also may alert you to errors that need to be corrected before money can be awarded.

Student Loan: Money a student borrows to help pay for college, which must be paid back. Subsidized loans are offered to students who qualify through the FAFSA. The federal government pays the interest while the student is in college. There are also unsubsidized loans where interest begins accruing as soon as the loan is accepted.

Summer Bridge Programs: Programs offered by many universities and some community colleges, which occur in the summer between high school graduation and fall transition to college, which offer students accelerated, focused learning opportunities that can help better prepare them to succeed in college.

Transcript: an official record of high school and/or college courses and grades.

Tuition: The amount of money charged for instruction/classes at postsecondary institutions (see also – cost of attendance).

Undeclared/Undecided: A student enrolled in courses but has not yet declared a major.

Undergraduate Student: a student who has not completed a baccalaureate (usually 4 years) or first professional degree.

Vocational School: a college that provides mostly employment preparation skills for trained labor, such as welding and culinary arts. These programs generally take no more than two years to complete.

Waitlisted: Admissions status that is neither an offer nor rejection. Waitlisted students may be accepted to the college or university later.

Withdraw: To drop a class after the add/drop grace period. Withdrawing often means receiving a W on your transcript.

Work Study: A federal program that provides the opportunity for college students to work part-time jobs (often on the campus of the school they attend) to earn money to pay educational expenses. Students receive compensation in the form of a paycheck, much like a traditional job. Students must submit the FAFSA to be considered for work-study positions.

Yield Rate: The percentage of accepted applicants who enroll in a college compared to the number of acceptances offered.