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College Prep Glossary
College Admission from A to Z
What’s a FAFSA? What's the difference between EA and ED? If you're asking yourself these questions, your child is probably in the middle of the college admission process.
Whether you’ve dealt with college planning before or are new to the process, you’re probably coming across unfamiliar terms. The College Board is here to help you navigate this process. This glossary may help you make sense of the information you’re collecting.
Accreditation
This is official recognition that a college or trade school has met the standards of a regional or national accrediting organization.
Admission Tests
These are standardized tests that assess the test-taker’s academic knowledge and skills. Most colleges use scores from admission tests to help them decide which students to accept. Some ask applicants to take specific tests.
The SAT® is the most widely used admission test. Scores on SAT Subject Tests™, which assess knowledge in specific subject areas, are also requested by many colleges as part of their admission process.
Read about the SAT.
Read about SAT Subject Tests.
Articulation Agreement
An articulation agreement is designed to make it easier for a student at a two-year college to transfer to a four-year college, based on an agreement between the colleges about accepting course credits. Articulation agreements spell out which courses are eligible for degree credit at the four-year college, and the grades that must have been earned.
Arts and Sciences
This is a college course of study that includes the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, mathematics, foreign languages and fine arts.
Associate Degree
The associate degree is awarded by a college after satisfactory completion of a program of study. Full-time students typically complete the program in two years.
Award Letter
This is a document sent to admitted students describing the terms of the financial aid that the college is offering them, including the types and amounts of aid offered, the conditions that govern the awards, and a deadline for accepting the awards.
Bachelor's Degree
Bachelor’s degrees are awarded by a college, typically after satisfactory completion of a four- or five-year, full-time program of study.
Bursar
The bursar is the college official responsible for handling billing and payments for tuition, fees, housing and other related expenses.
Candidates Reply Date Agreement (CRDA)
The CRDA requires participating colleges to give admitted students until May 1 to accept or decline an offer of admission. This agreement gives students time to get responses from most of the colleges they have applied to before deciding on one.
College
This is a generic term for an institution of higher learning (that is, education after high school) leading to an associate or bachelor’s degree. It is also a term used to designate divisions within a university (such as the college of engineering or the college of liberal arts).
College Credit
When a college grants credit for a course, that means that successful completion of the course counts toward a degree. Colleges may also grant degree credit for scores on exams.
The AP Program and the College-Level Examination Program® (CLEP®) both offer exams that can earn test-takers college credit. For example, a college may accept a qualifying score on the AP Spanish Language Exam as the equivalent of successfully completing a college-level introductory Spanish course.
Read about AP Exams.
Read about CLEP.
Common Application
This standard application form is accepted by all colleges that are subscribers to the Common Application Group. Applicants need to fill out the form only once (online or in print), and can then submit it to any number of the participating colleges.
Go to the Common Application.
Consortium
A consortium is group of colleges that offer joint programs that allow students to share facilities and course offerings at member campuses. Consortiums are generally made up of neighboring schools.
Cooperative Education (Co-op)
A co-op is a career-oriented degree program in which students alternate between class attendance and related employment in business, industry or government. As a result, the bachelor's-degree program usually takes an extra year to complete.
Cost of Attendance
The cost of attendance is the sum of the total amount of money spent while attending college. It includes money spent on tuition and fees, books and supplies, and living expenses. The cost of attendance is compared with the student’s expected family contribution (EFC) to determine the student’s need for financial aid.
CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE®
This is a financial aid application and service offered by the College Board and used by some colleges and private scholarship programs to award their own private financial aid funds.
Go to PROFILE Online.
Deferred Admission
This type of admission allows a student who is accepted by a college to postpone enrolling for one year.
Demonstrated Need
The difference between the amount of money a family is expected to pay for college (the expected family contribution, or EFC) and the total cost of attending a particular college.
Early Action (EA)
EA is a nonbinding program in which a student can receive an early admission decision from several colleges, but is not required to accept an admission offer before May 1. Application deadlines are usually in November or December with a mid-to-late-December notification date.
Read about early action.
Early Decision (ED)
Students who apply under early decision make a commitment to enroll at the college if admitted and offered a satisfactory financial aid package. Application deadlines are usually in November or December with a mid-to-late-December notification date.
Read about early decision.
Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
The EFC is the amount a student’s family can reasonably be expected to pay for one year of college.
Read about your EFC.
529 Savings Plans
This refers to state-sponsored investment plans — officially called qualified tuition programs (QTPs) — that give families tax advantages as they save money for college.
Read about 529 savings plans.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
Submitting a FAFSA is a requirement for all students seeking federal financial aid. Most colleges require the FAFSA, and in many states, completion of the FAFSA is also sufficient to establish eligibility for state-sponsored aid programs.
Read about the FAFSA.
Grade Point Average (GPA)
The GPA indicates a student's overall academic performance. It is computed by assigning a point value to each grade.
Greek System
This term refers to fraternities and sororities on campus, whose names originate from letters in the Greek alphabet.
Humanities
The humanities are courses focusing on human culture, including philosophy, foreign languages, religion, art, music and literature.
Independent Study
This program allows a student to earn credit through self-designed course work, which is usually planned and evaluated by a faculty member.
Legacy
A legacy is an applicant whose parents or grandparents are graduates of the college that the student is applying to.
Liberal Arts
A liberal arts course of study includes humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and mathematics.
Major
A major is an area of concentration in a particular field of study. Usually students specialize in their majors during their junior and senior years at college.
Minor
Students may minor in a subject different from the one they major in. They take course work that is not as extensive as that in a major, but provides some specialized knowledge of a second field.
Need-Based Financial Aid
This means financial aid (scholarships, grants, loans and work-study opportunities) that is awarded on the basis of a family’s inability to pay the full cost of attending a particular college.
Need-Blind Admission
This is a policy in which colleges make admission decisions without taking into account an applicant's financial circumstances. Colleges that subscribe to this policy do not necessarily offer aid sufficient to meet an applicant’s full need.
Net Price Calculator
This is an online tool that gives students a personalized estimate of what it would cost them to attend a specific college. As of October 29, 2011, most colleges are required by law to post a net price calculator on their website.
Read about the College Board’s Net Price Calculator.
Open Admission
This refers to a policy in which colleges accept any high school graduate, regardless of grades, until all spaces are filled. Almost all two-year community colleges have an open admission policy.
Placement Tests
These tests measure academic skills that are essential for student success in college. They cover reading, writing, math and sometimes other subjects. Placement test results help determine what courses students are ready for, and which students would benefit from remedial classes.
The College Board’s ACCUPLACER® is a widely used suite of placement tests. Scores on SAT Subject Tests and AP Exams are also used by some colleges to determine student placement.
Read about ACCUPLACER.
Read about SAT Subject Tests.
Read about AP Exams.
Priority Date
This is the date by which an application, whether for admission, housing or financial aid, must be received in order to be given the strongest possible consideration. After this date, applicants are considered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Provost
A provost is the senior academic administrator in a college.
Quarter System
This system divides the nine-month academic calendar into three equal parts of approximately 12 weeks each. Summer sessions, if any, are usually the same length.
Registrar
This is the college official who registers students and collects fees. The registrar may also be responsible for keeping permanent records, maintaining student files and forwarding copies of students' transcripts to employers, other colleges and graduate schools.
Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC)
ROTC combines military education with college study leading to the bachelor's degree. For students who commit themselves to future service in the Army, Air Force, Navy or Marines, there is usually an offer of financial aid. Not all colleges offer ROTC.
Residency Requirements
This is the length of time that students must spend at a college taking courses to be eligible for a diploma from that college. Some colleges also require certain students to live on campus for a specific length of time. The term also refers to time families or students must reside in a state before being considered eligible for state aid.
Rolling Admission
Colleges with this type of admission procedure consider each student's application as soon as all the required credentials have been received (e.g., high school record, test scores). The college usually notifies applicants of its decision without delay.
Semester System
This system divides the academic year into two equal segments of approximately 18 weeks each. Summer sessions, if any, are shorter, but require more intensive study.
Sophomore Standing
This term means that a student is being considered a sophomore for academic purposes such as registering for classes. A college may grant sophomore standing to incoming freshmen if they have enough credits from AP or CLEP exams.
Read about AP Exams.
Read about CLEP.
Standardized Tests
Standardized tests, such as the PSAT/NMQST®, the SAT and SAT Subject Tests, evaluate academic knowledge and skills. They help education professionals fairly compare students who come from different regions, experiences and types of schools.
Some standardized tests, such as the SAT, are used by colleges to assess students’ preparedness for postsecondary-level course work. Others, such as the PSAT/NMSQT, give valuable feedback to students — and their parents, teachers and counselors — about which of their skills need more work. The PSAT/NMSQT is also used to qualify students for certain scholarships.
Read about the PSAT/NMSQT.
Read about the SAT.
Read about SAT Subject Tests.
Student Aid Report (SAR)
This is a report sent to families in response to their submission of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). It indicates the expected family contribution (EFC).
Transcript
This is the official record of a student's course work at a school or college. A high school transcript is generally required as part of the college application process.
Transfer Program
A transfer program is an education program offered by a two-year college for students who plan to continue their studies at a four-year college.
Transfer Student
A transfer student is a student who enrolls in a college after having attended another college.
Trimester System
This is an academic calendar that is divided into three equal terms or trimesters.
Undergraduate
An undergraduate is a college student working toward an associate or bachelor's degree.
University
A university is an institution of higher education that is divided into several colleges, schools or institutes. When applying to a university, students typically have to apply for admission to a specific college, which may have its own admission requirements.
Wait List
This is a list of applicants who may be considered for acceptance if there is still space after admitted students have decided whether or not they'll attend.
Work-Study
In this federally funded program, students take campus jobs as part of their financial aid package. To participate in a work-study program, students must complete the FAFSA
Yield
This is the percentage of accepted applicants who enroll at a college.
Zygomaticus Major
These are two muscles in your face, one on each side. They’re the ones that pull the corners of your mouth up. Smile! Your child’s on the path to college.
