- This stands for an "associate of arts" degree, which can be earned at most two-year colleges. Designed primarily for students who desire to continue their education at a four-year college or university.

A.A.S.

- This refers to an "associate of applied science" degree, which can be earned at some two-year colleges. This degree is not designed for students transferring to a four-year institution. This degree is designed to prepare students for employment in a specific career.

A.S.

- This stands for an "associate of science" degree, which can be earned at most two-year colleges. Designed for students who desire to transfer their education to a four-year college or university. An A.S. is a generalized degree with course requirement emphasizing sciences.

Achievement Test

- Achievement tests are offered in many areas of study including English, mathematics, many sciences, history, and foreign languages. Some colleges require students to take one or more achievement tests when they apply for admission.

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 Test

- This is a test published by American College Testing, which measures a student's aptitude in mathematical and verbal comprehension and problem solving. It is required or recommended by many colleges as part of the admission process. Most students take the ACT during their junior or senior year of high school.

Advanced Placement

- Granting of credit and/or assignment to an advanced course on the basis of evidence that a 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.

ASSET

- A group of tests developed by ACT and required by many two-year colleges as part of the course placement and advising process. The tests measure a student's reading, writing, and mathematical skills and are administered by the college.

B.A. or B.S.

- B.A. stands for "bachelor of arts," and B.S. stands for "bachelor of science." Both degrees can be earned at a four-year college or university. Some colleges grant only B.A.'s and others only grant B.S.'s, it depends on the kinds of courses offered at the particular college.

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.

Class Rank

- is a rating that compares cumulative grade point average to other members of your class. Class rank is often used as a college admissions and scholarship standard.

College Calendar

- The system by which a college divides its year into periods of time for instruction and awarding credit. Common systems include the traditional semester (or trimester) with three semesters per year or the quarter system with three terms of approximately 12 weeks each.

College Transfer Courses

- Courses intended for transfer of college credit to bachelor's degree programs elsewhere.

COMPASS

- A comprehensive computer adaptive testing system from ACT that helps place students into appropriate college course and maximizes information needed to ensure student success. It measures student's mathematics, reading and writing skills and reports results immediately.

Cooperative Work

- Study Education - A program in which a student alternates between full-time college study and full-time employment related to the area of study. Under this plan, a bachelor's degree often requires five years to complete. However, students have valuable work experience and often get higher starting salaries when they finish college.

Credit

- is granted upon successful completion of a course that meets for a minimum of 8,100 minutes of instruction.

Credit by Examination

- A program through which many colleges grant course credit based on results of the Advanced Placement Tests (AP), the CEEB College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), Regents College Examinations (RCE), DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST) or another examination developed by colleges.

Credit Hour

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

Default Rate

- The default rate is the percentage of students who took out federal student loans to help pay their expenses but did not repay them properly.

Deferred Admission

- The practice of some colleges of allowing an accepted student to postpone enrollment for one year.

Early Action

- An application process that permits students to make application to an institution of preference and receive a decision during their senior year, well in advance of the normal response dates in the spring. The candidate is not committed to enroll at that particular institution.

Early Admission

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

Early Decision

- An application process in which a student makes a commitment to the institution that, if admitted, the student will enroll. Only a student who can make a deliberate and well-reasoned first choice decision should apply under an Early Decision plan because the institution will usually require a non-refundable deposit well before May 1.

Elective

- is a course students may select to meet total graduation requirements. Example: You may enroll in art, computer, or sociology.

Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

- An amount, determined by a formula that is specified by law, that indicates how much of a family's financial resources should be available to help pay for school. Factors such as taxable and non-taxable income, assets (such as savings and checking accounts), and benefits (for example, unemployment or Social Security) are all considered in this calculation. The EFC is used in determining eligibility for Federal need-based aid.

Federal Direct Student Loans

- Loans made by the federal government directly to qualifying students and parents through participating colleges. Stafford and PLUS loans are available under the Direct Loan program.

Federal Pell Grant

- Financial assistance awarded by the federal government on the basis of need and designed to provide the "floor" of an aid package for postsecondary education. The grant may be used toward tuition, room and board, books, or other educational costs and requires no repayment.

Federal Perkins Loan Program

- Loans funded by the federal government and awarded by the institution. The loans feature low interest rates and are repayable over an extended period of time.

Federal PLUS Program

- Provides low-interest federal loans to credit-approved parents of eligible undergraduate students. Repayment begins 60 days after loan funds are paid to you. Loans are available from participating banks, lending institutions, and participating Direct Lending Schools.

Federal Stafford Loan Program

- Provides low-interest federal loans to eligible students through banks, lending institutions, and participating Direct Lending schools. The interest is paid by the federal government for qualifying students while they are enrolled at least half time. Students who do not qualify for these interest allowances are responsible for the interest while they are enrolled. Repayment begins after the student leaves school.

Federal Work Study

- A government supported financial aid program coordinated through financial aid offices in which an eligible student (based on need) may work part time while attending class at least half time, generally in career-related jobs.

Fees

- These are charges that cover costs not associated with the student's course load, such as costs of some athletic activities, clubs, parking, computer usage, and special events.

Financial Aid

- refers to money available from various sources to help students pay for college.

Financial Aid Package

- The total amount of financial aid a student receives. Federal and non-Federal aid such as grants, loans, or work-study are combined in a "package" to help meet the student's need. Using available resources to give each student the best possible package of aid is one of the major responsibilities of a school's financial aid administrator.

Financial Need

- In the context of student financial aid, financial need is equal to the cost of education (estimated costs for college attendance and basic living expenses) minus the expected family contribution (the amount a student's family is expected to pay, which varies according to the family's financial resources).

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

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

General Educational Development (GED)

- The certificate students receive if they have passes a high school equivalency test. Students who don't have a high school diploma but who have a GED will still qualify for Federal student aid.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

- An indicator of a 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 taken.

Graduation Requirements

- are established by your local school district and must include state standards.

Grants

- A grant is a sum of money given to a student for the purposes of paying at least part of the cost of college. Awards are 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.

Independent Study

- An arrangement that allows a student to earn college credit through individual study, usually planned with and supervised by a faculty adviser.

Major

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

Merit-based Financial Aid

- This kind of financial aid is given to students who meet requirements not related to financial needs. Most merit-based aid is awarded on the basis of academic performance or potential and is given in the form of scholarships or grants.

Need-based Financial Aid

- This kind of financial aid is given to students who are determined to be in financial need of assistance based on their income and assets and their families' income and assets as well as some other factors.

NCAA Initial-Eligibility Certification

- In order to participate in inter-collegiate sports at NCAA Division I and Division II colleges, student-athletes must submit their high school transcript, the Clearinghouse "Student Release Form," and ACT/SAT scores to the NCAA Initial Eligibility Clearinghouse. When registering for either test, students should enter "9999" as one of the college choices to have test scores sent to the Clearinghouse.

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. At some colleges it means that anyone who has a high school diploma or a GED can enroll. At other schools it means that anyone over 18 can enroll. "Open admissions," therefore, can mean slightly different things at different schools.

Pell Grants

- These are Federal need based grants given to over 4 million students each year.

Perkins Loan

- This is a Federal financial aid program that consists of low-interest loans for undergraduates and graduate students with exceptional financial need. Loans are award by the school.

PLAN

- A tenth-grade assessment program from ACT designed to help students improve their postsecondary planning and preparation. PLAN contains academic tests an interest inventory, study skills assessment, and student information section and is complementary in content and format to the ACT Assessment.

PLUS Loans

- These Federal loans allow parents to borrow money for their children's college education.

Postsecondary

- This term means "after high school" and refers to all programs for high school graduates, including programs at two and four year colleges and vocational and technical schools.

Prerequisite

- is a course that must be taken before enrollment in another related course. (Example: French 1 is a prerequisite for French 2).

Principal

- This refers to the face value or the amount of money you place in a savings instrument on which interest is earned.

Proprietary

- This is a term used to describe postsecondary schools that are private and are legally permitted to make a profit. Most proprietary schools offer technical and vocational courses.

PSAT/NMSQT

- This stands for the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test, a practice test that helps students prepare for the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). The PSAT is usually administered to tenth or eleventh grade students. Although colleges do not see a student's PSAT/NMSQT score, a student who does very well on this test and who meets many other academic performance criteria may qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program.

Required Elective

- is a course students may select to meet a graduation requirement. (Example: You may choose to enroll in geometry or calculus to meet math requirements.)

Rolling Admission

- An admission procedure by which the college considers each application as soon as all required materials have been received. The college then notifies each applicant of acceptance or rejection as soon as possible.

ROTC

- This stands for Reserve Officers Training Corps program, which is a scholarship program wherein the military covers the cost of tuition, fees, and textbooks and also provides a monthly allowance. Scholarship recipients participate in summer training while in college and fulfill a service commitment after college.

SAT

- This stands for the Scholastic Aptitude Test, which is a test that measures a student's aptitude in mathematical and verbal comprehension and problem solving. Many colleges in the East and West require students to take the SAT and to submit their test scores when they apply for admission. Some colleges accept this test or the ACT. Most students take the SAT or ACT during their junior or senior year of high school.

SAT I

- A test of verbal and mathematical abilities given by the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) throughout the year at specified test centers.

Scholarships

- A scholarship is a sum of money given to a student for the purpose of paying at least part of the cost of college. Scholarships can be awarded to students based on student's academic achievements or on many other factors.

SEOG (Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant)

- This is Federal ward that helps undergraduates with exceptional financial need, and is awarded by the school. The SEOG does not have to be paid back.

Special Term Study

- A program of concentrated study on a single topic offered by some colleges for short periods such as one month. Special speakers, resources, or field experiences are often made available.

Stafford Loans

- These are student loans offered by the Federal Government. There are two types of Stafford Loans - one need-based and another non-need based. Under the Stafford Loan program, students can borrow money to attend school and the Federal Government will guarantee the loan in case of default. Under the Stafford loan programs, the combined loan limits are $2,625 for the first year, $3,500 for the second year, $5,500 for the third or more years. An undergraduate cannot borrow more than a total of $23,500.

Student Aid Report (SAR)

- Information received approximately 3-6 weeks after your FAFSA has been processed. It reports the information from student applications and, if there are no questions or problems with an application, the SAR reports the Expected Family Contribution (EFC).

Transcript

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

Tuition

- This is the amount of money that colleges charge for classroom and other instruction and use of some facilities such as libraries. Tuition can range from a few hundred dollars per year to more than $20,000.

Wait List

- A term used by institutions to describe a process by which they may initially delay offering or denying admission. Instead, the institution extends the possibility of admission in the future. Colleges offer admission to wait list candidates if insufficient numbers of regularly admitted candidates accept their offers of admission.

Work-Study Programs

- these programs are offered by many colleges. They allow students to work part time during the school year as part of their financial aid package. The jobs are usually on campus and the money earned is used to pay for tuition or other college charges.