Definitions

Accredited

Recognition of an educational institution by an official agency or association as maintaining certain quality standards.

ACT Assessment (ACT)

A standardized examination used by colleges to assist in determining admissibility of undergraduate students. Information may be obtained by clicking the link. Colleges will accept either the SAT or ACT. You do not need to submit both tests.

Admitted Student

A student who has been offered admission to a college.

Bachelor Degree

The degree awarded to undergraduate students at the completion of the course of study. There are several titles depending on the degree although the most common are the bachelor of arts or B.A. degree and the bachelor of science or B.S. degree.

College/University

Usually a college is defined as a 4 year institution of higher education that does not offer any graduate programs. A university is a group of colleges that typically offers some graduate programs. However, there are colleges that offer graduate degrees and some universities that have very limited graduate degree programs. For purposes of this website, there is no distinction and we generally will just call all such institutions colleges.

Common Application

The recommended application form for admission to most of the best undergraduate programs. Students complete the form only once and send copies to any of the participating colleges to which they wish to apply. The form can be downloaded or completed online at the link above.  You will also find a list of colleges that use this form of college application on that site.

Degree-Seeking Student

A student actively seeking a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree.

Early Action

A college admissions program under which students may apply well before the normal application deadline to get an early answer from the college regarding their admission decision. If admitted under this program, students are under no obligation to enroll at the college.The student applying under this program may generally apply to other colleges although a few colleges are limiting the ability to apply to more than one college early action.

Early Decision

A college admissions program under which a student applies to their first-choice college usually by November 15 of the senior year and agrees by contract to enter that college if offered admission. Students may only apply to one college under an early decision plan.

Endowment

Funds invested by a college to produce income and to support the operation of the college. These funds are often used to pay for financial aid. However, at most colleges, financial aid for international students is very limited. 

4-1-4 Plan

An academic calendar usually including a fall term with four courses, a one month January term with one course, and a spring term with four courses.

Full Time

Enrollment for a minimum number of credit hours for each semester. This number will vary from college to college

Graduate Study

The educational sequence immediately following completion of the bachelor’s degree. Graduate study may be in a particular profession like medicine or law or it may be in a particular field of study such as mechanical engineering or history.

International Student

Any student or applicant who is not a citizen or permanent resident alien of the United States.

Legacy

Having an immediate family member, generally a parent or a sibling, as graduated from the college to which the student is making application.

Open admissions

When most or all students that apply to a college are admitted.

Recalculated GPA

The grade point average (GPA) that you have at your secondary school may include grades from non academic courses such as physical education and music. Also, if you have taken AP or IB courses your grade for that AP or IB courses may be increased to reflect the additional difficulty of the course. However, many colleges take the GPA they receive from your transcript and take out grades received in non academic courses. They may also take out any increases you have received because you took AP or IB classes. This “new” GPA that the college uses is a recalculated GPA. Because not all schools recalculate GPA or do so in the same manner, you should ask any school you are considering whether they recalculate GPA’s and how they do the recalculation.

Regular Admission

Regular Decision is the traditional process in which the student applies by the regular deadline (usually by January 15th) and the college makes a decision usually by April 1st. The student then has until May 1 to accept an offer of admission.

Rolling Admission

Rolling Admission occurs when the college reviews applications as they are received and, if the application is complete, offers a decision to the student usually within two to five weeks of being reviewed. Students are not required to make a commitment until May 1.

Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)

A standardized examination used by colleges to assist in determining admissibility of undergraduate students. Information may be obtained by clicking the link. Colleges will accept either the SAT or ACT. You do not need to submit both tests.

Secondary School

Generally refers to the ninth, tenth, eleventh, and twelfth years of formal education, prior to attending a college or university

Selective college

Selective colleges are those that do not admit everyone who applies. However, there are levels of selectivity, from less selective to highly selective. You can consider any college that admits one-third or fewer of its applicants as highly selective.

Semester

The most common academic calendar, dividing the year into two equal terms.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

An examination used by American colleges to determine English proficiency of students applying from foreign countries. Information may be obtained by clicking on the link.

Transcript

A complete record of academic work done in secondary school, i.e., all subjects taken and grades or marks secured in each subject.

Trimester

Academic calendar divided into three equal terms.

Undergraduate Degree

The education that occurs immediately following completion of secondary school or high school that leads to a bachelor’s degree.

Wait list

A list of applicants who may be considered for acceptance if there is still space after admitted students have decided whether or not they will attend.

Financial Aid Terms

Award letter

An official document issued by a financial aid office listing all the financial aid awarded to the student. The award letter will include information about the cost of attendance and terms and conditions for the financial aid.

Cost of attendance (COA)

The total cost of attending a college for one academic year. The student’s budget usually includes tuition, fees, room, board, supplies, transportation, and personal expenses.

Demonstrated financial need

Amount, as determined through financial aid forms, which is the difference between the total cost of attendance and the estimated family contribution.

Differential packaging

Policy used by some colleges where the college uses better financial aid offers to encourage academically-stronger or underrepresented students to attend that college. Differential packages may consist of a larger percentage of grant money vs. student loans than what most students would receive.

Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

Amount a family is expected to contribute to a student’s education, based on family earnings, net assets, savings, size of family and number of students in college.

Financial aid

Financial assistance in the form of scholarships, grants, work-study, and loans for education.

Financial need

The difference between the cost of attendance at a college and the Expected Family Contribution. Also known as financial aid eligibility.

Gift aid

Financial aid, such as grants and scholarships, which does not need to be repaid.

Grants

Financial aid awards that do not have to be repaid. Grants are available through the federal government, state agencies and individual colleges.

Loan

A type of financial aid that is available to students and their parents. Student loan programs have varying interest rates and repayment provisions. An education loan must be repaid.

Merit-based

A means of determining eligibility for certain types of financial aid using merit, such as a specific accomplishment or talent, as the determining factor, rather than financial need.

Need

The difference between the Cost of Attendance and the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is the student’s financial need.

Need-based

A means of determining eligibility for certain types of financial aid using financial need as the determining factor.

Parent’s contribution

Amount parents can be expected to contribute each year to the cost of their student’s education.

Private loans

Private loans provide supplemental funding when other financial aid does not cover costs. These loans are offered by banks or other financial institutions and schools to parents and students.

Scholarships

Funds used to pay for higher education that do not have to be repaid. Scholarships may be awarded based on any number of criteria, such as academics, achievements, hobbies, talents, affiliations with various groups, or career aspirations.

Self-help aid

Financial aid in the form of loans or student employment.