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A standardized college admission test. It features four main sections: English, math, reading and science — and an optional essay section.
An academic mentor who guides your student through their degree. Advisors assist with course registration, make sure your student is taking the right courses in the right order, and help them make important academic decisions. Every first-year student is assigned an advisor. When a student declares a major, they receive a new advisor in that department.
A status colleges give to students who are struggling to pass courses. Academic probation is used to warn students that they need to improve their performance. Students on academic probation may lose scholarships or become ineligible for university sports.
Also known as college entrance exams, these are tests designed to measure students’ skills and help colleges evaluate how ready students are for college-level work. The ACT and the College Board’s SAT are two standardized admission tests used in the United States. The word "standardized" means that the test measures the same thing in the same way for everyone who takes it. Read more about admission tests.
An agreement between two-year and four-year colleges that makes it easier to transfer credits between them. It spells out which courses count for degree credit and the grades you need to earn to get credit.
a 4-year degree, usually in the form of either a Bachelor of Arts (in a liberal arts program or Bachelor of Science (in an applied learning program such as engineering or other STEIM fields.)
An agreement many colleges follow that gives applicants until May 1 to accept or decline offers of admission. This agreement gives students time to get responses from most of the colleges they have applied to before deciding on one.
A measurement of how your academic achievement compares with that of other students in your grade. This number is usually determined by using a weighted GPA that takes into account both your grades and the difficulty of the courses you’ve taken.
A standard application form accepted by members of the Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success. You can use this application to apply to any of the more than 90 colleges and universities that are members of the Coalition.
Refers to any program, dormitory, or activity that includes all genders. This term is typically used to describe residence halls that have both male and female students living on the same floor.
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.” Learn more about college application essays.
What you get when you successfully complete a college-level course. You need a certain number of credits to graduate with a degree. Colleges may also grant credit for scores on exams, such as those offered by the College Board’s AP Program® and CLEP. Learn more about AP and CLEP.
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. Go to the Common Application.
Community colleges are usually public institutions that focus on providing accessible, flexible courses. Although some CCs have dorms, most CC students commute from home and many are working full or part-time. Students can take one-off courses or pursue 2-year associate’s degrees or professional certifications. Often, credits from a community college can be transferred to a 4-year university. Some community colleges now offer 4-year degrees.
Counselor Evaluation
A counselor evaluation is part of the Common Application. Universities ask the counselor to rate and/or rank a student on a set of criteria.
Counselor Recommendation
A counselor recommendation required by some universities for their application. The counselor may write a letter outlining the student's strengths and capabilities.
Course Load
The number of courses, or total credit hours, a student takes in any given semester.
Credit Hour
Each course is assigned a certain number of credit hours, usually corresponding to how often class occurs and how long classes are, as well as the course difficulty. Many classes earn a student 3 to 4 credit hours. To be considered full-time, a student must be taking at least 12 credits per semester.
Permission from a college that has accepted you to postpone enrolling in the college. The postponement is usually for up to one year.
Demonstrated interest is how colleges assess how interested a student is in attending their school. Demonstrated interest can also impact whether a student is admitted or not! This means that it can be a very important part of the admissions process for students.
An option to earn two different majors at a university.
Degree
A degree is the final result of a college education. It’s awarded when a student earns a certain number of qualifying credit hours. Examples of degrees include Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, Master of Business Administration, a PhD, Associate’s, and more.
Department
Refers to a certain section of a university. Departments are usually aligned with degrees or areas of study within a college, such as the engineering department, English department, etc.
Dissertation
Usually refers to a doctoral dissertation, and is typically required for a PhD. A dissertation is the result of academic research that results in an original contribution to the student’s chosen field of study. Sometimes referred to as a thesis.
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. Some colleges have an early action option called EA II, which has a later application deadline than their regular EA plan. Learn more about applying early.
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. Some colleges have an early decision option called ED II, which has a later application deadline than their regular ED plan. Learn more about applying early.
FAFSA
This stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Completing this online form is the first step in applying for financial aid. All colleges require students who'd like to be considered for financial aid to complete the FAFSA every year.
FERPA
This stands for Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act. This law protects the privacy of educational records and transfers from parents to the students themselves when they turn 18 or start college. FERPA covers all school-related records, including your student's grades, information from the campus health center, disciplinary records, and more. If students want to give a parent or another third party access, they may complete a FERPA waiver. There is an exception: If the college feels there is a need to protect the health and safety of your student or others, they may disclose information.
Money given or loaned to you to help pay for college. Financial aid can come from federal and state governments, colleges, and private organizations. Learn more about financial aid.
Financial Need
This is determined by the difference between the total cost of attendance at a college and the amount the student and their family is expected to contribute (Expected Family Contribution).
First Generation
First generation refers to students who are the first in their families to attend college or whose parents didn’t complete a college degree. Many schools have special offices or programs to provide guidance to first-generation students.
A student who is taking a full course load, typically 12 or more credits.
Gap Year
A year-long break between high school and college, or a semester or year taken off at some point along the way to earning a college degree.
General Education Requirements
Most 4-year college programs come with a set of general education requirements, intended to ensure all students receive a broad education, with knowledge of topics outside of their chosen field of study.
A number that shows overall academic performance. It’s computed by assigning a point value to each grade you earn. See also Weighted Grade Point Average.
Some professions require students to continue their education beyond college graduation. There are graduate programs in almost every academic area. A master's degree typically takes two years while a doctorate takes four or more. Law, medicine and business have separate graduate schools.
The Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) gives your student a right over the privacy of their medical records when they turn 18. A HIPAA Release Form gives you, as their parent, the ability to access their medical records and make important medical decisions for them in the case of an illness or emergency.
A status conferred on students who live (or have established residency) in the same state as the college or university they attend. At public universities, in-state students pay much less in tuition than non-resident students.
An internship is a short-term job, usually for the summer or a semester, that your student takes to get experience in their field of interest. Internships may be paid or unpaid; sometimes students can earn course credit for them. In some academic programs, an internship may be required to graduate.
A college applicant with a relative (usually a parent or grandparent) who graduated from that college. Some colleges give preference to legacy applicants (also called “legacies”).
Letters of recommendation are part of college and scholarship applications, and also often required to apply for internships, jobs and graduate school. Students ask people who know them well (teachers and professors, employers, coaches, advisors and mentors) to write the letters for the purpose of explaining why they are a strong match for a college, job or other opportunity.
Refers to non-technical fields of study, including literature, art, mathematics, philosophy, and social and natural sciences. Students at liberal arts colleges can major in math, science and computer science but may not have access to the same range of offerings available at research universities.
The primary focus of study in a 4-year degree. For example, your student might major in history, business or aerospace engineering. Some students start college with a declared major and others choose a major after a year or so of academic exploration.
The meal plan dictates how many meals a student can eat at on-campus dining facilities. Most students living in campus housing will have a meal plan, but off-campus students can often purchase a full or partial plan. Some meal plans include funds that can be used as cash at campus restaurants or snack shops.
Exams that occur in the middle of a quarter or semester to test a student’s grasp of topics covered in a course up to that point. Midterms are typically weighted more heavily than other tests and coursework, but not as heavily as finals.
A secondary focus of study, typically earned in tandem with a major. Your student, for example, might graduate with a major in biology and a minor in psychology. It takes fewer course credits to complete a minor, and the minor might complement the major area of study or be something a student pursues just because they love the subject.
A policy of making admission decisions without considering the financial circumstances of applicants. Colleges that use this policy may not offer enough financial aid to meet a student’s full need.
Status applied to students who don't live in the same state as the university they’re attending. At public institutions, nonresident, out-of-state students usually pay much higher tuition than in-state students.
A policy of accepting any high school graduate, no matter what his or her grades are, until all spaces in the incoming class are filled. Almost all two-year community colleges have an open-admission policy. However, a college with a general open-admission policy may have admission requirements for certain programs.
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 remedial classes. Read more about placement tests.
Many college classes must be taken sequentially — in a certain order, from lower to higher level. A prerequisite is a course a student must complete before taking another specific course. For example, Calculus 1 is a prerequisite to Calculus 2 — a student can’t take the latter without having passed the former.
The date by which your application — whether it’s for college admission, student housing or financial aid — must be received to be given the strongest consideration.
The college official who registers students. The registrar may also be responsible for keeping permanent records and maintaining your student file.
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. Colleges that use a rolling admission policy usually notify applicants of admission decisions quickly.
The College Board’s standardized college admission test. It features three main sections: math, reading and writing, which includes a written essay. Learn more about the SAT.
The status of a second-year student. A college may grant sophomore standing to an incoming freshman if he or she has earned college credits through courses, exams or other programs.
Supplemental essays are additional pieces of writing required by many highly-selective universities, and they can be just as revealing and important as your personal statement. Read on for how-to guides with essay examples & analysis on tackling these essays for some of the most popular colleges and universities.
When applying to a college or university with test-optional admissions, applicants don't have to submit an SAT or ACT score. If they want to submit a score, the admission committee will consider it, but not submitting a score won't count against them.
The official record of your course work at a school or college. Your high school transcript is usually required for college admission and for some financial aid packages.
A student who enrolls in a college after having attended another college.
A college student who is working toward an associate or a bachelor's degree.
A standard application form accepted by all colleges that are Universal College Application members. You can fill out this application once and submit it to any one — or several — of the more than 3,044 colleges that accept it. Go to the Universal College Application.
The list of applicants who may be admitted to a college if space becomes available. Colleges wait to hear if all the students they accepted decide to attend. If students don’t enroll and there are empty spots, a college may fill them with students who are on the waiting list. Learn more about waiting lists.
A grade point average that’s calculated using a system that assigns a higher point value to grades in more-difficult classes. For example, some high schools assign the value of 5.0 (instead of the standard 4.0) for an A earned in an AP class.
Withdraw
Withdrawing is when your student leaves a course after the add/drop period is over. While withdrawing from a class does not affect a student’s GPA, it is shown on their transcript as a "W." Withdrawing can also refer to a student withdrawing from their academic program entirely.
Work-Study
A federal program which gives colleges and universities funding to hire students for part-time jobs. Federal Work-Study is part of a student's financial aid package but instead of being money a student receives outright, it comes in the form of employment and students may use their income to cover any expenses they want. Students are responsible for applying for available work-study positions; receiving Work-Study doesn't guarantee them a job.
College FAQs
Demonstrated interest is how colleges assess how interested a student is in attending their school. Demonstrated interest can also impact whether a student is admitted or not! This means that it can be a very important part of the admissions process for students. Read this article about how it is important and how to show it.
A. Yes! Once you have submitted your application, you must notify each individual college you applied to of any changes to your application. This includes if you change your class schedule senior year, do not pass a class, or do not take a planned class. Changes to your senior classes may or may not impact your admission.