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Accreditation - Official recognition that a college, university, or trade school has met the standards of a regional or national association.
Advanced Placement (AP) - Gives motivated high school students the opportunity to take college-level courses in a high school setting. Many colleges award credit or advanced placement to students with a "qualifying" grade on the AP Exams. AP exams are graded 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.
American College Test (ACT) - The ACT is a college entrance exam administered by the American College Testing Corporation that measures educational development in English, math, social studies and the natural sciences. Scores are reported as 1-36, with a 36 as the highest. Most colleges will accept scores from either the ACT or SAT.
Articulation - An agreement between a two-year and four year college within the same state that allows a two-year college student automatic admission to a four year college if she or he completes required courses.
Arts and Science - A college course of study that includes the humanities, social science, natural sciences, mathematics, foreign languages and the fine arts.
Award Letter - A document issues to a student financial aid recipient that indicates the type, amount and disbursement dates of the funds awarded for various financial aid programs.
Bachelor's Degree - Awarded by a four-year college or university after satisfactory completion of a program of study.
Campus-Based Aid - Financial Assistance for students and their families administered by a college. Funds, regardless of their source, are awarded to students by the college's financial aid office, and not by a state, federal, or private agency.
Candidate Reply Date Agreement (CRDA) - May 1 is the national candidate reply date, the date by which seniors must decide, notify and deposit at their one chosen college.
College Board - The College Board administers the PSAT/NMSQT, SAT, SAT Subject tests, the Advanced Placement program, CLEP, the College Scholarship Service (CSS), and the CSS Profile.
College-Level Examination Program - A credit by exam program that helps students of all ages earn college degrees faster by getting credit for what they already know. By receiving a satisfactory score, a student can earn from three to twelve college credits towards a college degree for each CLEP he or she takes, depending on the exam subject.
College Scholarship Service(CSS) - A service of the College Board that assists post-secondary institutions, state scholarship programs and other organizations in the equitable distribution of student financial aid funds by measuring a family's financial strengths and analyzing its ability to contribute to college costs.
Common Application - A standard application form accepted by over 450 colleges in lieu of their own form. Available on line at www.commonapp.org
Consortium - A group of colleges or universities that offer joint programs that allow students to share facilities and course offerings at member campuses. Consortiums are generally made up of neighboring schools. Example: Colleges of the Fenway.
Cooperative Work-Study Education - A full-time paid employment related to a student's field of study. The student alternates between work and full-time study. As a result, the bachelor's program usually takes five years to complete.
CSS Profile - A financial aid form produced by the College Board required for students seeking financial aid at approximately ten percent of the nation's four-year colleges.
Deferral - When a student's application for early decision or early action is postponed, and will be considered with the regular applicant pool.
Deferred Admission - Allows an accepted student to postpone admission for one year.
Demonstrated Need - The difference between the family contribution as established on the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and the total cost of attending college.
Early Action - A program that gives special consideration to a student who applies for admission by a specific date, usually early fall. Students are not obligated to enroll if admitted. They are able to wait until May 1 to make a final decision.
Early Decision - A program that gives special consideration to a student who applies for admission by a specific date, usually early fall. Students are obligated to enroll if admitted, and to withdraw all applications from other institutions.
Expected Family Contribution - The amount a family can reasonably be expected to pay for one year of college.
4-1-4 System - An academic calendar consisting of two semesters made up of four months each, with a short winter term of one month in between.
Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) - The need analysis form produced by the U.S. Department of Education that is required for students seeking aid by nearly all colleges and universities. Complete the FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov
Grade-Point Average - Indicates a student's overall scholastic performance. It is computed by assigning a point value to each grade.
Greek System - Fraternities and sororities on campus, whose names originate from the letters in the Greek alphabet.
Humanities - Courses focusing on human culture, including philosophy, foreign language, religion and literature.
Independent Study - Allows a student to earn credit through self-designed coursework, which is usually planned and evaluated by a faculty member.
Ivy League - Eight schools named for their former athletic league: Yale, UPenn, Harvard, Dartmouth, Cornell, Princeton, Columbia, and Brown.
Legacy - An applicant whose parents or grandparents are graduates of the college or university to which she or he is applying.
Liberal Arts - A course of study that includes humanities, social science, natural science, mathematics, foreign language and fine arts.
Major - Area of concentration in a particular field of study. Usually students specialize in the their majors during their junior and senior years in college.
National Merit Scholarship Program - A scholarship program based mostly on scores from the PSAT/NMSQT. Each year, National Merit students receive scholarships ranging from several hundred dollars to full cost of attendance.
Need-Blind Admissions - A policy in which colleges make admission decisions without taking into account an applicant's financial circumstances.
Open Admissions - Schools that take any high school graduate until all the openings are filled. Almost all two-year colleges have an open admissions policy.
Preferential Packaging - A policy in which the most desirable applicants get the best financial aid packages.
PSAT/NMSQT - The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test is a standardized test that provides first hand practice for the SAT and SAT Subject Tests. It also gives juniors a chance to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Corporation's (NMSC) scholarship program.
Quarter System - Divides the nine-month calendar into three equal parts of approximately 12 weeks each. Summer sessions, if any, are usually the same length.
Registrar - 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 student's transcripts to employers and schools.
Reserve Officer Training - Combines military education with college study leading to the bachelor's degree. For some students who commit themselves to future service in the Army, Navy, or Air Force there is usually an offer of financial aid. Not all schools offer ROTC.
Residency Requirements - Length of time stipulated by colleges or universities that a student must spend on campus taking courses. The term also refers to time families or students must reside in a state before being considered eligible for state aid.
Rolling Admissions - Admissions procedure by which the college considers each student's application as soon as all the required credentials have been received. The college usually notifies applicants of its decision without delay.
SAT Reasoning Test - A National exam that measures three sets of skills - critical reading, math and writing.
SAT Subject Tests - One-hour primarily multiple-choice test that measures achievement in specific subject areas.
Semester System - Divides the academic year into two equal segments of approximately 18 weeks each. Summer sessions are shorter, but require more intensive study.
Student Aid Report - The form sent to families in response to the submission of the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) indicating the Expected Family Contribution (EFC).
Student Search Service - A free information service for students who take the PSAT/NMSQT, SAT, or AP Exams. By participating in the Student Search Service, students let colleges, universities and scholarship programs know they are interested in hearing from them.
Test of English as a Foreign Language(TOEFL) - An exam required by almost all U.S. colleges and universities for student whose principal language is not English. The test is made up of three multiple choice sections: listening comprehension, structure and written expression and reading comprehension.
Three-Two Program - A program offering students three years of study in a liberal arts field followed by two years of professional or specialized study (e.g., engineering, teaching, nursing, business administration). The student is awarded two degrees upon successful completion of the program.
Transcript - Official record of a student's coursework at a school or college. A high school transcript is generally required as part of the college application process.
Trimesters - An academic calendar that is divided into three equal terms or semesters.
Tuition Tax Credits - Allow you to subtract, on a dollar-for-dollar basis, the amount of the credit from your total federal income tax bill.
Undergraduate - A college student earning a bachelor's degree.
Waitlist - 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.
Work-Study - A federally funded program in which students take campus jobs as part of their financial aid package. To participate in a work-study program, students must complete the FAFSA.
Yield - Percentage of accepted applicants who enroll at a college.
Source: The College Board website (www.collegeboard.org)
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