Applying

  • 4 + 1 Programs: These programs allow a student to earn both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in just five years, rather than the usual six or seven.
  • ACT: The ACT is a standards- and curriculum-based exam that is an educational and career-planning tool for college-bound students. It assesses students’ academic readiness for college and consists of four multiple-choice tests: English, mathematics, reading, science, with an optional writing exam.
  • Applicant: Any student who has completed the college application process at a college or university.
  • Application: A college application is part of the competitive college admissions system. Admissions departments usually require students to complete an application for admission that typically consists of academic records, personal essays, letters of recommendation, and a list of extracurricular activities. Some schools require the SAT or ACT. Deadlines for admission applications are established and published by each college or university.
  • Application Deadline: The date set by college admissions offices. Applications for admission will not be accepted after this date.
  • Application Fee: The application fee is a one-time charge that students must remit with their written or online application to a college or university. The amount varies between schools.
  • Apprenticeship: On-the-job training and classroom learning for a specific trade.
  • ASVAB: Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is a timed multi-aptitude test to enter the military. Your scores determine how qualified you are for certain positions.
  • “Best Fit”: No one school is best for all students. Some students do best at large public universities; others excel in small liberal arts colleges. Still others want to study far from home. To make the most of college, don’t apply just to big-name schools. Apply to the college or university that is the best fit for you.
  • Class Rank: The ordered ranking of students in a graduating class based on academic performance and/or grade point average. Rankings may be expressed in numerical order or by percentile depending on the school and class size.
  • College Rankings: Data from all colleges and universities nationwide that form an objective guide to help parents and students compare the quality of schools.
  •  Common Application: The Common Application (informally known as the Common App) makes it possible for students to use one admissions application to apply to any of the more than 500 member colleges and universities. Common Apps are in two forms: first-year admission and transfer admission. Both allow students to fill out one application online and submit it to participating schools.
  • CTE: Stands for Career and Technical Education; classes that provide the skills and hands-on experience related to a specific career.
  • EFC: Expected Family Contribution measures a student’s family’s financial strength and what they can contribute to college costs. It is calculated using a formula that includes taxed and untaxed income, assets, family size, etc. The EFC is important because schools use it to determine a student’s federal aid eligibility and financial aid award.
  • Extracurricular: Extracurricular activities are outside a high school course or paid employment (note that paid work experience is of interest to colleges and can substitute for some extracurricular activities). Define extracurricular activities in broad terms—many applicants make the mistake of thinking of them solely as school-sponsored groups such as yearbook, band or football. Not so: most community and family activities are also “extracurricular.”
  • Financial Aid: Any grant, scholarship, loan or work-study offered to help a student pay for college expenses. Aid can be from a variety of sources, including federal agencies, state agencies, colleges, high schools and high school communities, foundations, etc.
  • Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): The FAFSA is a form that each current and prospective undergraduate or graduate college student must fill out to determine or renew his or her eligibility for student financial aid.
  • Grade Point Average (GPA): The total number of points a student has achieved divided by the number of credits a student took. It indicates a student’s academic achievement at a college or university for a semester or overall.
  • Grant: A grant is money given to a student for the purposes of their college expenses. It is typically given by an organization, government or private sources to the student and does not have to be repaid.
  • In-State (Resident) Student: A student whose permanent residence is in the same state as the college or university he or she attends or hopes to attend. In-state students generally pay lower tuition than do out-of-state students.
  • Intended Start Date: The date indicating which semester an applicant plans to enroll. Most students enroll in the fall.
  • Job Shadow: Job shadowing involves spending time following a professional as they work.
  • Merit-Based Financial Aid: Financial aid awarded to students based on their academic achievements and strength of their application. The award is reduced tuition and can be renewed each year under certain circumstances.
  • Need-Based Financial Aid: Financial aid awarded to candidates based on their family’s financial circumstances. Need-based grants are renewable each year but can be revised depending on changes in the family’s financial situation.
  • Out-of-State (Non-Resident) Student: Student whose permanent residence is in a different state than that of the college or university that he or she attends or hopes to attend. Out-of-state students generally pay higher tuition than do in-state students.
  • Prospective Student: Any student who is a potential applicant for admission, particularly those who have shown interest in attending the institution or in which the institution has shown interest.
  • SAT: The SAT is a college admissions exam that tests students’ knowledge of reading, writing and math. The tests comparatively measure college and university applicants. Students typically take the SAT during their junior and/or senior year of high school. It can be taken multiple times. Most colleges and universities require SAT scores as part of the application process.
  • SAT Subject Tests: SAT subject tests are content-specific exams that students can take in courses they feel they have excelled in. Students have the choice to take subject tests although some schools do require them as part of the admissions process. The test is to help students differentiate themselves in the college admissions process by showing prowess in school courses.
  • Scholarship: Type of grant awarded to a student, usually for academic merit or high accomplishments. Scholarships do not need to be repaid and can also be awarded based on need. Students typically receive scholarships from organizations, companies, communities, college or university, and more.
  • Six-Year Graduation Rate: Indicates the percentage of incoming freshmen who graduate a four-year program in six years or less.
  • Student Loans: Unlike grants and scholarships, loans are offered to students to pay for education expenses with the promise that they will be repaid. Students must apply for and be accepted to receive student loans. The interest rate on student loans typically is lower than most other loans. Students do not have to pay back their loans until they have completed their education.
  • Test-Optional: Test-Optional means you get to decide whether you want to submit test scores with the application. Applying Test-Optional may impact merit scholarship eligibility.
  • Transcript: A transcript is a copy of a student’s permanent academic record throughout his or her time at high school. It is sent to the university or college with an application. It is also the academic record kept throughout a student’s time at university.
  • Work-Study: This is a program that allows students to work part time while attending college. It is federally funded and assists students with college-related expenses while attending school.

College Acceptance Terms

  • Acceptance: The decision by an admissions officer or committee to offer a student the opportunity to enroll.
  • College Selection: The act of choosing and deciding to enroll in and attend a higher-education program.
  • Deferred Enrollment: This type of admission is available at some institutions for fully accepted students who wish—for a justifiable reason—to take a semester or year off before enrolling in college.
  • Denial: The decision by an institution to not offer a student admission.
  • Early Action: Early action is when a prospective student applies for admission by an early deadline (before the regular admission deadline) and receives notice of acceptance, denial or deferment with no obligation to the university to enroll, if accepted for admission.
  • Early Decision: Through this program offered by many post-secondary schools, students willing to commit to a school if accepted submit their application by a date well before the general admission deadline. If accepted, the student must enroll in that school. Students should only apply early decision to their first-choice school.
  • Financial Aid Package: The amount of federal, state and college aid that the colleges and universities that accept a student will offer toward college expenses. Colleges typically send their offering with the acceptance letter. The amount varies but the package will explain exactly what the school will offer.
  • Notification Date: The date by which applicants who are accepted for admission are expected to notify the institutions of their intent to enroll and make enrollment deposits. That date often is on or around May 1.
  • Open Admissions: Unselective and non-competitive college admissions process where a high school diploma or a GED is the only requirement.
  • Rolling Admissions: Some institutions use this to review and complete applications as they arrive, rather than according to a set deadline.
  • Waitlist: An applicant is put on the waitlist when an institution decides to offer the applicant the opportunity to enroll only if space is available in the incoming class after fully admitted students have responded to their offers to enroll.

Types of Post-Secondary Institutions

  • Art School (College, Institute, Conservatory): An institution specializing in the visual, performing and/or creative arts.
  • College: An institution of higher learning often referred to as a “four-year” institution, which grants bachelor’s degrees in liberal arts or science or both.
  • Community College: Community colleges, sometimes called junior colleges, technical colleges, or city colleges, are primarily two-year public institutions providing higher education and lower-level courses, granting certificates, diplomas and associate degrees. Many also offer continuing and adult education. After graduating from a community college, some students transfer to a four-year liberal arts college or university for two to three years to complete a bachelor’s degree.
  • Graduate School: Within universities, these schools offer degree programs beyond the bachelor’s degree.
  • Liberal Arts College: A degree-granting institution where the academic focus is on developing the intellect and instruction in the humanities and sciences, rather than on training for a vocational, technical or professional pursuit.
  • Private Institution: This is a college or university funded by private sources without any control by a government agency. The cost of attending a private institution is generally higher than a public institution.
  • Public Institution: A college or university that receives public funding, primarily from a local, state or national government that oversees and regulates the school’s operations is considered a public institution.
  • University: A “post-secondary institution” that consists of a liberal arts college, a diverse graduate program, and usually two or more professional schools or faculties that is empowered to confer degrees in various fields of study.
  • Vocational or Technical School: This type of institution, similar to a community college, offers specific career-oriented programs lasting from a few months to a few years. Most are specialized and offer intense training in one skill area.

Types of Post-Secondary Degrees

  • AA: This stands for an associate in arts degree, which can be earned at most two-year colleges.
  • AAS: This refers to an associate in applied science degree, which can be earned at some two-year colleges.
  • BA or BS: BA stands for bachelor of arts and BS stands for bachelor of science. Both degrees can be earned at four-year colleges.
  • Graduate Degrees: These degrees are earned beyond the bachelor’s degree when the student completes graduate school curriculum requirements. Common examples include the MA (master’s degree), Ph.D. (doctoral degree), MBA (master’s degree in business administration), and MD (doctor of medicine).
  • Certificates: More institutions are offering certification programs, typically five or six courses, for credit or not, taken over three to 18 months. Some cost a few thousand dollars, others cost more.