ASSOCIATE’S DEGREE: A degree obtained over a two-year course of study, most often done at a community or junior college.
BACHELOR’S DEGREE: A degree obtained in the completion of an undergraduate program; it usually takes around 4 years to complete.
CERTIFICATES: A certification obtained after the mastery over a narrow subject area or topic—usually found within the trade industry; programs vary, but are usually around 1-2 years to complete.
COLLEGE: College is defined as a degree or certificate completed after high school.
COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY: An essay that a college requires students to write and submit as part of their application. Some colleges offer applicants specific questions to answer, while others simply ask applicants to write about themselves. Colleges may refer to this as a “personal statement.”
COLLEGE CREDIT: What you get when you successfully complete a college-level course. You need a certain number of credits to graduate with a degree.
COMMON APPLICATION: A standard application form accepted by all colleges that are members of the Common Application association. You can fill out this application once and submit it to any one — or several — of the nearly 700 colleges that accept it.
COMMUNITY COLLEGE: a Junior college established to serve a specific community and is often supported by local governments—most community colleges have open admission and offer associate degrees, certificate programs, and have several transfer agreements in place.
CREDIT HOUR: A credit hour is a unit of measuring educational credit, which is usually based on the number of hours per week spent in the classroom.
DEFERRED ADMISSION: Permission from a college that has accepted you to postpone enrolling in the college. The postponement is usually for up to one year.
DEFFERED ADMISSIONS DECISION: A decision made by a college to reconsider an admissions decision at a later date—this does not mean you are rejected, but also does not mean you are admitted—often schools that defer will request fall semester grades.
EARLY ACTION: An option to submit your applications before the regular deadlines. When you apply early action, you get admission decisions from colleges earlier than usual. Early action plans are not binding, which means that you do not have to enroll in a college if you are accepted early action.
EARLY DECISION: An option to submit an application to your first-choice college before the regular deadline. When you apply early decision, you get an admission decision earlier than usual. Early decision plans are binding. You agree to enroll in the college immediately if admitted and offered a financial aid package that meets your needs.
FAFSA: FAFSA is an acronym for “Free Application for Federal Student Aid” this form is required to receive any financial aid from any institution even if you don’t expect to receive any financial aid from the federal government. Filling out the FAFSA is the most important thing after submitting an initial application to college.
FEE WAIVER: Most all colleges will grant students the ability to waive their application fee if they can express financial need to do so. Not being able to afford an application should never stop a student from applying to college.
FEES: Mandatory fees deemed by the college that are included in the price of attendance.
FERPA: The “Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act” is a federal law which protects the privacy of student educational records. These rights transfer to the student upon their 18th birthday and parents will be only allowed access to student information upon the student signing a waiver.
FINANCIAL AID: Money given or loaned to you to help pay for college. Financial aid can come from federal and state governments, colleges, and private organizations.
FIRST GENERATION STUDENT: This term is used to refer to students who are the first in their immediate family to attend college: students whose parents have not attended a post-secondary educational institution.
FSA ID: A username and password used to login to the FAFSA.
GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: these are requirements designed to help your college student receive a broad education with at least a general background in several areas. Students are often required to take one or two courses in several different departments outside of their major.
GPA: Grade Point average, this is a way of calculating a student’s overall grade average—many colleges use this to understand how students generally perform.
GPA CUTOFFS: Most colleges will list the average GPA of their current incoming freshman class, this is mostly used so prospective students can understand generally how students at that university perform—rarely do college have a “cutoff point” where no student will be admitted below a certain GPA.
GRACE PERIOD: The six month period after completion of a degree where students are not required to make loan payments.
GRANTS: Grants are another way to pay for college, they are “free” money that is used to pay for college, sometimes you must apply for grants, sometimes they are awarded based on financial need expressed via the FAFSA.
IN-STATE TUITION: Public universities receive funding from individual state governments so students having residency in the same state usually have a tuition that is less than an out-of-state student—most private schools do not have a difference in tuition as they do not receive state funding.
LEGACY: A college applicant with a relative who graduate from that same college.
LIBERAL ARTS: A Liberal Arts education is one that provides an overview of the arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematics and natural sciences. Studying liberal arts encourages students to see connections across many disciplines and is a holistic approach to education.
LOANS: Money that is borrowed either from the federal government or a private lender that is paid back with interest.
MAJOR: An academic major is a discipline or area of study in which a student chooses to specialize. Majors can be changed and do not need to be declared upon entering college.
MEAL PLAN: Some colleges will require to have a meal plan; a pre-paid account for meals whilst at college—this is included in the price of attendance.
MINOR: a secondary field of interest after a student’s major. Minors usually require several courses in an area, but fewer courses than a major.
NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENT: Any student that starts college more than one year after leaving high school.
OPEN ADMISSION: also called Open Enrollment or Inclusive Admission, generally means that the admission process is unselective and non-competitive. The only criteria for admission is a high school diploma or GED certificate. Open Admission is most often found in community colleges.
PARENT-PLUS LOAN: a student loan offered to parents of students enrolled at least half time, or graduate and professional students, at participating and eligible post-secondary institutions. Parents are accountable for the loan and cannot be transferred to the student at any time.
PELL GRANT: A Pell Grant is money the government provides for students who need it to pay for college. Grants, unlike loans, do not have to be repaid. Eligible students receive a specified amount each year under this program. About one-third of undergraduate students received a Pell Grant in 2015-16.
PLACEMENT TEST: Tests that measure the academic skills needed for college-level work. They cover reading, writing, math and sometimes other subjects. Placement test results help determine what courses you are ready for and whether you would benefit from development education classes.
PRE-REQUISITE: Pre-requisites are courses that students are required to take prior to registering for an upper level course. Some courses may have no pre-requisites and some courses may have several introductory level courses required before the student may take them.
PRICE OF ATTENDANCE: Price of attendance is the total amount of money it would cost to attend a particular college for one academic year. It depends on the college or program, but it usually includes tuition, fees, and room and board. It can also include the price of books and other expenses.
PRIVATE COLLEGE: An independent school that receives no funding from the federal or state government, usually have a smaller student body, sometimes has a larger sticker price.
PRIVATE LOANS: Private loans are taken out through a private borrower company usually at a higher interest than Stafford Loans.
PROSPECTIVE STUDENT: A student that is interested in a particular college and might apply/attend a certain college.
PUBLIC UNIVERSITY: Is mostly funded through the government in one way or another, public universities usually have a larger student body.
REGISTRAR: The college Registrar is the person or office ultimately responsible for maintaining the permanent academic record for each student.
RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE: A college that requires students to live in campus housing for at least a part of their college career.
ROLLING ADMISSION: An admission policy of considering each application as soon as all required information (such as high school records and test scores) has been received, rather than setting an application deadline and reviewing applications in a batch.
ROOM AND BOARD: Room and board is the expense of living on campus with a meal-plan, most universities require freshman to utilize their freshman year. This is included in the price of attendance.
SAT: the College Board’s standardized college admission test. It features three main sections: math, reading and writing, which includes a written essay. Most colleges use the SAT score in the college decision process.
SCHOLARSHIPS: Scholarships are “free” money given usually after one has applied for it. There are several different kinds of scholarships based on academic performance, athletics, financial need, or specific interests.
STAFFORD LOANS: Stafford Loans are loans granted by the federal government usually done through a borrower company—there are two types: subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Students are not required to make payments on their loans while in school, but can if they want to lower interest payments.
STICKER PRICE: The price of attendance before scholarships or loans are applied. More often than not, the sticker price is rarely paid, but can scare students and parents off—it is important to look at the price of attendance after financial aid has been applied as some schools that have a larger sticker price could actually be a student’s most affordable option.
SUBSIDIZED LOANS: Subsidized loans are loans granted through the federal government. The interest on subsidized loans are paid by the government while the student is attending school.
TECHNICAL PROGRAMS: Programs that have a focus in employment-preparation skills for trained labor. Usually come with certificate or associate degrees.
TRANSCRIPT: A student’s transcript is the official, permanent record of the courses taken, grades earned, honors earned and diplomas earned by their high school.
TRANSFER AGREEMENT: Transfer agreements are preexisting agreements that are formed between two institutions so that students can transfer between two institutions easily.
TUITION: Tuition is the price of classes which covers the cost of teaching and credits received.
UNDERGRADUATE: A student working toward an associate or bachelor’s degree.
UNSUBSIDIZED LOANS: Unsubsidized loans are loans granted through the federal government. Interest accrues from the initial start of the borrowing period.
UPWARD TREND: A trend wherein a student’s grades improve greatly in their last two years of high school.
WAITING LIST: A list of applicants who may be admitted to a college if space becomes available.
WEIGHTED GPA: a GPA that’s calculated using a system that assigns a higher point value to grades in more-difficult classes.
WORK STUDY: This is offered within the initial financial aid package where a student can earn this money through a part-time on-campus job. Money is earned in a regular pay-check format, this money is not automatically applied to the student’s account.
BACHELOR’S DEGREE: A degree obtained in the completion of an undergraduate program; it usually takes around 4 years to complete.
CERTIFICATES: A certification obtained after the mastery over a narrow subject area or topic—usually found within the trade industry; programs vary, but are usually around 1-2 years to complete.
COLLEGE: College is defined as a degree or certificate completed after high school.
COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY: An essay that a college requires students to write and submit as part of their application. Some colleges offer applicants specific questions to answer, while others simply ask applicants to write about themselves. Colleges may refer to this as a “personal statement.”
COLLEGE CREDIT: What you get when you successfully complete a college-level course. You need a certain number of credits to graduate with a degree.
COMMON APPLICATION: A standard application form accepted by all colleges that are members of the Common Application association. You can fill out this application once and submit it to any one — or several — of the nearly 700 colleges that accept it.
COMMUNITY COLLEGE: a Junior college established to serve a specific community and is often supported by local governments—most community colleges have open admission and offer associate degrees, certificate programs, and have several transfer agreements in place.
CREDIT HOUR: A credit hour is a unit of measuring educational credit, which is usually based on the number of hours per week spent in the classroom.
DEFERRED ADMISSION: Permission from a college that has accepted you to postpone enrolling in the college. The postponement is usually for up to one year.
DEFFERED ADMISSIONS DECISION: A decision made by a college to reconsider an admissions decision at a later date—this does not mean you are rejected, but also does not mean you are admitted—often schools that defer will request fall semester grades.
EARLY ACTION: An option to submit your applications before the regular deadlines. When you apply early action, you get admission decisions from colleges earlier than usual. Early action plans are not binding, which means that you do not have to enroll in a college if you are accepted early action.
EARLY DECISION: An option to submit an application to your first-choice college before the regular deadline. When you apply early decision, you get an admission decision earlier than usual. Early decision plans are binding. You agree to enroll in the college immediately if admitted and offered a financial aid package that meets your needs.
FAFSA: FAFSA is an acronym for “Free Application for Federal Student Aid” this form is required to receive any financial aid from any institution even if you don’t expect to receive any financial aid from the federal government. Filling out the FAFSA is the most important thing after submitting an initial application to college.
FEE WAIVER: Most all colleges will grant students the ability to waive their application fee if they can express financial need to do so. Not being able to afford an application should never stop a student from applying to college.
FEES: Mandatory fees deemed by the college that are included in the price of attendance.
FERPA: The “Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act” is a federal law which protects the privacy of student educational records. These rights transfer to the student upon their 18th birthday and parents will be only allowed access to student information upon the student signing a waiver.
FINANCIAL AID: Money given or loaned to you to help pay for college. Financial aid can come from federal and state governments, colleges, and private organizations.
FIRST GENERATION STUDENT: This term is used to refer to students who are the first in their immediate family to attend college: students whose parents have not attended a post-secondary educational institution.
FSA ID: A username and password used to login to the FAFSA.
GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: these are requirements designed to help your college student receive a broad education with at least a general background in several areas. Students are often required to take one or two courses in several different departments outside of their major.
GPA: Grade Point average, this is a way of calculating a student’s overall grade average—many colleges use this to understand how students generally perform.
GPA CUTOFFS: Most colleges will list the average GPA of their current incoming freshman class, this is mostly used so prospective students can understand generally how students at that university perform—rarely do college have a “cutoff point” where no student will be admitted below a certain GPA.
GRACE PERIOD: The six month period after completion of a degree where students are not required to make loan payments.
GRANTS: Grants are another way to pay for college, they are “free” money that is used to pay for college, sometimes you must apply for grants, sometimes they are awarded based on financial need expressed via the FAFSA.
IN-STATE TUITION: Public universities receive funding from individual state governments so students having residency in the same state usually have a tuition that is less than an out-of-state student—most private schools do not have a difference in tuition as they do not receive state funding.
LEGACY: A college applicant with a relative who graduate from that same college.
LIBERAL ARTS: A Liberal Arts education is one that provides an overview of the arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematics and natural sciences. Studying liberal arts encourages students to see connections across many disciplines and is a holistic approach to education.
LOANS: Money that is borrowed either from the federal government or a private lender that is paid back with interest.
MAJOR: An academic major is a discipline or area of study in which a student chooses to specialize. Majors can be changed and do not need to be declared upon entering college.
MEAL PLAN: Some colleges will require to have a meal plan; a pre-paid account for meals whilst at college—this is included in the price of attendance.
MINOR: a secondary field of interest after a student’s major. Minors usually require several courses in an area, but fewer courses than a major.
NON-TRADITIONAL STUDENT: Any student that starts college more than one year after leaving high school.
OPEN ADMISSION: also called Open Enrollment or Inclusive Admission, generally means that the admission process is unselective and non-competitive. The only criteria for admission is a high school diploma or GED certificate. Open Admission is most often found in community colleges.
PARENT-PLUS LOAN: a student loan offered to parents of students enrolled at least half time, or graduate and professional students, at participating and eligible post-secondary institutions. Parents are accountable for the loan and cannot be transferred to the student at any time.
PELL GRANT: A Pell Grant is money the government provides for students who need it to pay for college. Grants, unlike loans, do not have to be repaid. Eligible students receive a specified amount each year under this program. About one-third of undergraduate students received a Pell Grant in 2015-16.
PLACEMENT TEST: Tests that measure the academic skills needed for college-level work. They cover reading, writing, math and sometimes other subjects. Placement test results help determine what courses you are ready for and whether you would benefit from development education classes.
PRE-REQUISITE: Pre-requisites are courses that students are required to take prior to registering for an upper level course. Some courses may have no pre-requisites and some courses may have several introductory level courses required before the student may take them.
PRICE OF ATTENDANCE: Price of attendance is the total amount of money it would cost to attend a particular college for one academic year. It depends on the college or program, but it usually includes tuition, fees, and room and board. It can also include the price of books and other expenses.
PRIVATE COLLEGE: An independent school that receives no funding from the federal or state government, usually have a smaller student body, sometimes has a larger sticker price.
PRIVATE LOANS: Private loans are taken out through a private borrower company usually at a higher interest than Stafford Loans.
PROSPECTIVE STUDENT: A student that is interested in a particular college and might apply/attend a certain college.
PUBLIC UNIVERSITY: Is mostly funded through the government in one way or another, public universities usually have a larger student body.
REGISTRAR: The college Registrar is the person or office ultimately responsible for maintaining the permanent academic record for each student.
RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE: A college that requires students to live in campus housing for at least a part of their college career.
ROLLING ADMISSION: An admission policy of considering each application as soon as all required information (such as high school records and test scores) has been received, rather than setting an application deadline and reviewing applications in a batch.
ROOM AND BOARD: Room and board is the expense of living on campus with a meal-plan, most universities require freshman to utilize their freshman year. This is included in the price of attendance.
SAT: the College Board’s standardized college admission test. It features three main sections: math, reading and writing, which includes a written essay. Most colleges use the SAT score in the college decision process.
SCHOLARSHIPS: Scholarships are “free” money given usually after one has applied for it. There are several different kinds of scholarships based on academic performance, athletics, financial need, or specific interests.
STAFFORD LOANS: Stafford Loans are loans granted by the federal government usually done through a borrower company—there are two types: subsidized and unsubsidized loans. Students are not required to make payments on their loans while in school, but can if they want to lower interest payments.
STICKER PRICE: The price of attendance before scholarships or loans are applied. More often than not, the sticker price is rarely paid, but can scare students and parents off—it is important to look at the price of attendance after financial aid has been applied as some schools that have a larger sticker price could actually be a student’s most affordable option.
SUBSIDIZED LOANS: Subsidized loans are loans granted through the federal government. The interest on subsidized loans are paid by the government while the student is attending school.
TECHNICAL PROGRAMS: Programs that have a focus in employment-preparation skills for trained labor. Usually come with certificate or associate degrees.
TRANSCRIPT: A student’s transcript is the official, permanent record of the courses taken, grades earned, honors earned and diplomas earned by their high school.
TRANSFER AGREEMENT: Transfer agreements are preexisting agreements that are formed between two institutions so that students can transfer between two institutions easily.
TUITION: Tuition is the price of classes which covers the cost of teaching and credits received.
UNDERGRADUATE: A student working toward an associate or bachelor’s degree.
UNSUBSIDIZED LOANS: Unsubsidized loans are loans granted through the federal government. Interest accrues from the initial start of the borrowing period.
UPWARD TREND: A trend wherein a student’s grades improve greatly in their last two years of high school.
WAITING LIST: A list of applicants who may be admitted to a college if space becomes available.
WEIGHTED GPA: a GPA that’s calculated using a system that assigns a higher point value to grades in more-difficult classes.
WORK STUDY: This is offered within the initial financial aid package where a student can earn this money through a part-time on-campus job. Money is earned in a regular pay-check format, this money is not automatically applied to the student’s account.
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