Glossary

Accelerated Programs - A college program of study completed in less than the time usually required, most often by attending in summer or by carrying extra courses during the regular academic terms. Completion of a bachelor’s degree program in three years is an example of acceleration.

Accreditation - Recognition by an accrediting organization or agency that a college meets certain acceptable standards in its education programs, services and facilities. Regional accreditation applies to a college as a whole and not to any particular programs or courses of study. Specialized accreditation of specific types of schools or professional programs is usually determined by a national organization.

Advanced Placement - Admission or assignment of a freshman to an advanced course in a certain subject on the basis of evidence that the student has already completed the equivalent of the college’s freshman course in that subject.

Advanced Placement Program (APP) - A service of the College Board that provides high schools with course description in college subjects and Advanced Placement Examinations on those subjects. High schools administer the examinations to qualified students, who may then be eligible for advanced placement, college credit, or both, on the basis of satisfactory grades.

Associate Degree - The degree given for completing college programs of at least two but less than four years of study, usually in a two-year institution such as a junior college or community college.

Bachelor’s Degree - The degree given for completing undergraduate college programs that normally take four years. Also called the baccalaureate degree.

Calendar - The system by which an institution divides its year into shorter periods for instruction and awarding credit. The most common calendars are those based on semesters, trimesters and quarters.

Candidates Reply Date Agreement (CRDA) - A college subscribing to this agreement will not require any applicants offered admission as freshman to notify the college of their decision to attend (or to accept an offer of financial aid) before May 1 of the year the applicant applied. The purpose of the agreement is to give applicants time to hear from all the colleges to which they have applied before having to make a commitment to any one of them.

Certificate - An award for completing a particular program or course of study, sometimes given by two-year colleges instead of, or in addition to, the associate degree.

Class Rank - The approximate position of a student in his or her graduating class, figured according to grade average. It may be stated as a particular position, such as 75^th (from the top) in a class of 350 students, or as some fraction of the class, such as the top third or the second fifth of the class.

College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) - A Program of examinations in undergraduate college subjects and courses that provides students and other adults with an opportunity to show college-level achievement for which they have not previously received credit.

College-Preparatory Subjects - A term used to describe admissions requirements or recommendations. It is usually understood to mean subjects from the fields of English, history and social studies, foreign language, mathematics and science.

College Scholarship Service (CSS) - A service of the College Board that assists postsecondary institutions, the federal government, state scholarship programs and other organizations in the equitable distribution of student financial aid funds. By measuring a family’s financial strength and analyzing its ability to contribute to college costs, CSS need analysis services offer a standardized method of determining a student’s need.

Consortium - A voluntary association of two or more colleges providing joint services and academic programs to students enrolled in member institutions. Typical consortiums are made up of neighboring colleges. Students at one campus are allowed to attend courses and use the facilities at other member campuses.

Cooperative Education - A college program in which a student alternates between periods of full-time study and full-time employment in a related field. Students are paid for their work at the prevailing rate. Typically, five years are required to complete a bachelor’s degree under the cooperative plan, but graduates have the advantage of having completed about a years practical work experience in addition to their studies. Some colleges refer to this sort of program as work-study, but it should not be confused with the federally sponsored College Work-Study Program.

Deferred Admission - The practice of permitting students to postpone enrollment for one year after acceptance to the college.

Double Major - Any program of study in which a student completes the requirements of two majors concurrently.

Dual Enrollment - The practice of some colleges allowing high school seniors to enroll in certain courses while completing their senior year. These students are not considered full-time college students.

Early Admission - The practice of some colleges admitting certain students who have not completed high school - usually students of exceptional ability who have completed their junior year. These students are enrolled full time in college.

Early Decision - Early decision plans are offered to applicants who are sure of the college they want to attend and are likely to be accepted by that college. An early decision application is initiated by the student, who is then notified of the college’s decision earlier than usual - dates generally range from November 1st through by December 15th of the senior year.

Early Decision Plan - Colleges that subscribe to this plan, which is sponsored by the College Board, agree to follow a common schedule for early decision applicants. A student applying under a first-choice plan must withdraw applications from all other colleges as soon as he/she is notified of acceptance by the first-choice college. A student applying under a single-choice plan may not apply to any colleges other than his first choice unless rejected by that institution. If a college follows the College Board Early Decision Plan, applications (including financial aid applications) must be received by a specified date typically no later than December 15th.

4-1-4 - A variation on the semester calendar system, the 4-1-4 calendar consists of two terms of about 16 weeks each, separated by one month intersession used for intensive short courses, independent study, off campus work or other types of instruction.

Honors Program - Any special program for very able students which offers the opportunity for educational enrichment, independent study, acceleration or some combination of these.

Independent Study - An arrangement that allows students to complete some of their college program by studying independently instead of attending scheduled classes and completing group assignments. Typically, students plan programs of study in consultation with a faculty advisor or committee, to whom they may report periodically and submit a final report for evaluation.

Internships - Short-term, supervised work experiences, usually related to student’s major field, for which the student earns academic credit. The work can be full or part-time, on or off campus, paid or unpaid. Student teaching and apprenticeships are examples of internships.

Need Analysis Form - A financial information collection document used by parents of dependent students to supply information about their income, assets, expenses and liabilities. Independent students file these forms for themselves. The information is then used to estimate how much money a family or student is able to contribute to a student’s college expenses. In many cases a single need analysis form is the only document that students need to submit to be considered for all types of institutional, state and federal financial aid.

Open Admissions - The college admissions policy of admitting high school graduates and other adults generally without regard to conventional academic qualifications, such as high school subject, high school grades and admissions tests scores. Virtually all applicants with high school diplomas or their equivalent are accepted.

Pass-Fail Grading System - The practice of some colleges of rating student’s quality of performance in their courses as either passing or failing instead of giving grades to indicate various levels of passing work.

Pre-admission Summer Program - A special program in which a student attends college during the summer preceding the freshman year. The program may consist of remedial studies to strengthen preparation of freshman courses, one or more of the regular freshman courses to enable the student to carry a light schedule in the freshman year, or both.

Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test / National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) - A shorter version of the College Board’s Scholastic Aptitude Test administered by high schools each year in October. The PSAT/NMSQT aid high schools in the early guidance of students planning for college and serves as the qualifying test for scholarships awarded by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Quarter - An academic calendar period of about 11 weeks. Four quarters make up an academic year, but at colleges using the quarter system, students make normal academic progress by attending three quarters each year. In some colleges, students can accelerate their program by attending all four quarters in one or more years.

Reserve Officer’s Training Corps (ROTC) - Programs conducted by certain colleges in cooperation with the United States Air Force, Army and Navy. Local recruiting offices of the services themselves can supply detailed information about these programs, as can participating colleges.

Rolling Admissions - An admissions procedure by which the college considers each student’s application as soon as all the required credentials, such as school record and test scores, have been received. The college usually notifies applicants of its decision without delay.

Semester - A period of about 17 or 18 weeks which makes up half of the usual academic year in colleges using this kind of calendar.

Student Descriptive Questionnaire (SDQ) - A questionnaire that can be completed by students when they register for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). It gives the student an opportunity to provide information about educational objectives, extracurricular activities, self-perceived skills and areas in which counseling or assistance may be needed. The responses are sent, along with test scores, to each student’s high school and designated colleges and scholarship sponsors. For those students who give their permission, the SDQ is also used by the Student Search Service.

Student-Designed Major - An academic program that allows a student to construct a major field of study not formally offered by the college. Often nontraditional and interdisciplinary in nature, the major is developed by the student with the approval of a designated college officer or committee.

Student Search Service - A College Board program designed to help colleges identify potential applicants with the particular academic or personal characteristics they are seeking. The service also provides students with the opportunity to learn about colleges with programs and characteristics they want. Information is gathered about students who wish to participate through the Student Descriptive Questionnaire of the SAT and the biographical section of the PSAT / NMSQT. The College Board then supplies each participating college with the names and addresses of students who have the particular characteristics they specify. The service is free to students.

Study Abroad - Any arrangement by which a student completes part of the college program - typically the junior year but sometimes only a semester or a summer - studying in another country. A college may operate a campus abroad, or it may have a cooperative agreement with some other American college or an institution of the other country.

Terminal Program - An education program designed to prepare students for immediate employment. These programs usually can be completed in less than four years beyond high school and are available in many junior colleges, community colleges and vocational-technical institutes.

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - Sponsored by the College Board and the Graduate Record Examinations Board, this test helped foreign students demonstrate their English-language proficiency at the advanced level required for study in colleges and universities in the United States. Many colleges require their foreign applicants to take the test as part of their admissions requirements for both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Transfer Program - An education program in a two year college that is offered primarily for students who plan to continue their studies in a four year college or university.

Trimester - An academic calendar period of about 15 weeks. Three trimesters make up one year. Students make normal progress by attending two of the trimesters each year and in some colleges can accelerate their programs by attending all three trimesters in one or more years.

Upper-division College - A college offering bachelor’s degree programs that begin with the junior year. Entering students must have completed the freshman and sophomore years at other colleges.