Glossary ofTerms for College Bound Students and Parents

Glossary of Terms

For College-Bound Students and Parents

Accreditation: Recognition of a college or university by any of the regional or national accrediting bodies, indicating that the institution as a whole has been judged to be meeting its objectives.

ACT Assessment® ("ACT Test”):            A group of tests administered by ACT and required or recommended by most colleges as part of the admission process, The tests measure educational development .in English, mathematics, reading, and science reasoning and are given at specified test centers throughout the year. ACT scores range from   1-36.

Advanced Placement: Granting of credit and/or assignment to an advanced course on the basis of evidence that the student has mastered the equivalent of an introductory course,

Aid Package: A combination of aid (possibly including a scholarship, grant, loan and work) determined by a college financial aid office.

Candidates Reply Date: A policy among subscribing institutions that permits students to wait until May 1 to choose, without penalty, among offers of admission/financial aid.

College Calendar: Common systems of instruction time--Traditional semester—Two approximately equal semesters. Early semester two semesters, the first, ending before Christmas.   Quarter-three equal terms of about 12 weeks each. Trimester-calendar year divided into three equal semesters.

Credit Hour: A unit of academic credit that often represents one hour of class time per week for a period of instruction time (semester, quarter, etc.).

Deferred Admission: The practice of some colleges of allowing an accepted student

 to postpone enrollment for one year

 Early Action: The application process  by which students make application to an institution of preference and receive a decision well in advance of the institution’s regular response date. Students who are admitted under Early Action are not obligated to accept the institution's offer of admission or to submit a deposit until the regular reply date

  (May I).

Early Admission: Admitting students of superior ability into college courses and programs before they have completed the standard high school program.

Early Decision: The a

Grade Point Average:  An indicator of the student's overall scholastic performance. The GPA is computed by multiplying the number of grade points earned in each course (generally, A=4  B = 3  C= 2 D = 1 F = 0) times the number of course hours/credit hours, then dividing the sum by the total number of course hours/credit hours earned.

Grants: Awards based on financial “need” that do not require repayment.  Grants are available through the federal government, state agencies, and educational institutions.

Honors Program: Any program offering opportunity for superior students to enrich their educational experience through independent, advanced, or accelerated study,

Major: The subject of study in which the student chooses to specialize; a series of related courses, taken primarily in the junior and senior years.

Open Admissions: The policy of some colleges of admitting virtually all high school graduates, regardless of academic qualifications such as high school grades and admission test scores

PLAN®: A tenth-grade "pre-ACT" assessment program designed to help students improve their postsecondary planning and preparation. PLAN contains academic tests, an interest inventory, and student information section, and it is complementary in content and format to the ACT Assessment. PLAN scores range from 1-32.

Regular Decision: The application process in which a student submits an application to an institution by a specified date and receives a decision within a reasonable and clearly stated period of time, but not later than April 15.

Rolling Admission: The application process in which an institution reviews applications as

they are completed and renders admission decisions to students throughout the admission

Cycle.

SAT I: A test of verbal and mathematical abilities given by the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) at specified test centers throughout the year and required or recommended by many colleges as part of the admission process.

SAT II: A number of tests in specific subject areas (Literature, American History, Math, French, as examples) . Used by some schools for admission and others for placements. Can take three on one day. Given most days regular SAT I scheduled.

Scholarships: Non-repayable awards to students based on merit or merit plus need.

Student Aid Report (SAR): The information you will receive approximately 2-4 weeks after your FAFSA has been processed. It will report the information from your application and if there are no questions or problems with your application, your SAR will report your Expected Family Contribution (EFC).

Transcript: The official record of high school or college courses and grades, generally required as part of the college application.

Wait List: An admission decision option utilized by institutions to protect against shortfalls in enrollment. Wait lists are necessary because of the uncertainty of the admission process, as students submit applications for admission to multiple institutions and may receive several offers of admission. By placing a student on the wait list, an institution does not initially offer or deny admission, but extends to a candidate the possibility of admission in the future, before the institutions admission cycle is concluded.

Expected Family Contribution (EFC):  The amount of money the federal government determines a family should be able to contribute for the college education of its members. Based on the FASFA and is not related to what the individual college charges.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)- The application required for students to be considered for federal student financial aid. Obtain a FAFSA form or electronic filing formation from a high school or college to the appropriate year (usually available in November) The FASAFA is processed free of charge and it a used by most state agencies and colleges.