Glossary of College Terms

Adjunct Faculty: Part-time faculty member, often with a full-time teaching job elsewhere.

Bursar: The campus office where student tuition and fee payments are made.

CLEP: College Level Examination Program.  This is a series of tests you may take to demonstrate proficiency in various college subjects.  If the test scores are accepted by the college, you will receive 3 to 12 credits per test which will count toward college course credit at your college for various subjects.  CLEPs usually cover freshman and/or sophomore courses.

Core Requirements (Core Courses): Core courses are the required courses within a degree or certificate and must be completed with a grade of "C" or better. 

Deferred Admissions:  A student with financial, personal or work-related concerns can defer or postpone their enrollment for up to one year.

Dual Enrollment: The practice of some colleges of allowing high school seniors to enroll in certain courses while completing their senior year. These students are not considered full time college students.

Early Admission: The practice of admitting students to college early.  Usually, those students have not completed high school and are in their junior year of high school.  Students who allowed early admission are usually students of exceptional ability who have demonstrated they can  succeed in college. These students are enrolled full time in college.

EFC – Expected Family Contribution in relation to Undergraduate Financial Aid.

Elective: Elective courses are courses that are in addition to the core requirements of a program. Students choose electives based on a list specified by their program or in specific approved areas of interest.

FAFSA: The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is an application form that must be completed as the first step in applying for financial aid.  This application can be found at www.fafsa.ed.gov or obtained at any college Financial Aid Office.

Fees: Costs required in addition to tuition.

Freshman:  A first-year college student who is both a graduate from of an accredited high school, or its equivalent, and has not attempted any college course work prior to his enrollment.  Students who have taken many CLEP, AP or DANTES exams may not be considered freshman (they may be considered transfer students).  See college for more information.

Grade Point Average: (GPA): The average of earned grades, calculated by dividing the grade points earned by the number of credits attempted.

Grants:- a type of financial aid award that does not have to be repaid. Grants can be made based on an applicant's financial need or academic merit.

Hope Scholarship: A federal tax credit (enacted in 1997) that is available for tuition and required fees less grants, scholarships, and other tax-free financial assistance to borrowers who meet the qualifications of the program. It may provide a family up to $1,500 in tax credit per year per dependent student for the first two years of post-secondary education. The student must be pursuing a degree at least half time to be eligible.

Independent Student: A student who is either married, 24 years old or older, enrolled in a graduate or professional education program, has legal dependents other than a spouse, is an orphan or ward of the court, or a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Registration: Registration is the process of officially selecting classes that apply to a student’s major.  Registration occurs every semester of college.

Rolling Admissions: Colleges process and admit students as the applications come in. Usually there is a four to six week turn around with the student notified immediately.

SAT: Scholastic Assessment Test. An exam used to measure a student's ability in math, verbal comprehension, problem-solving, and writing. SATs are usually taken during the junior and senior years in high school, but may be taken earlier or later, at any age.

Scholarships: a financial aid award that does not have to be repaid. Scholarships are generally made based on an applicant meeting certain eligibility criteria.

Student Aid Report (SAR):  The official results from processing the student’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  The report shows the official Expected Family Contribution (EFC).  SAR is required in order to receive Pell Grant, Stafford Loans and other financial aid. 

Syllabus: An outline of class requirements, indicating assignments, readings and brief description of the course and grading procedures.

Transcript: A is a master list of the courses a student has taken, the grade earned, and the cumulative grade point average.  Withdrawal (W), Incomplete (I) and Pass/Fail (P/F) grade are also noted on a transcript but are not calculated in the student's grade point average. There are two types of transcripts, Official and Unofficial.  Official transcripts must be administered directly from the Registrar’s Office and usually are stamped, signed and officially sealed in an envelope.  Unofficial transcripts are copies of the official transcript without the stamp, signature or sealed envelope.

Transfer Student: A student who transfers from one college or university to another. Credits earned at one college or university will be evaluated by the new school and to determine the number of credits it will accept.

Verification:  The process of checking the accuracy of the information supplied by students when they apply for federal student aid.  The verification process usually requires the submission of income tax forms and other documentation to prove the validity of the financial aid application.  The verification process is required on a certain number of applications at every college.

Verification Worksheet: A form sent by the college to students who are selected for verification by the Department of Education's Central Processing System (CPS).