This glossary includes definitions for common terms to colleges and universities as well as the college application and admissions process.
High school (34)
- AP Capstone Diploma
A two-year program offered by the College Board based on two AP courses—AP Seminar and…
- AP Scholar
An award granted by the College Board to students who receive scores of 3 or higher on…
- AP Scholar with Distinction
An award granted by the College Board to students who average at least 3.5 on all AP…
- AP Scholar with Honor
An award granted by the College Board to students who score an average of at least 3.25…
- Academic Calendar (High school and College)
The schedule of an academic year, outlining important dates such as the start and end of…
- Accreditation (High school and College)
The process by which a high school or college is evaluated and certified as meeting…
- Advanced Placement
A program coordinated by the College Board where high schools offer 39 college-level…
- College Credit
Recognition of coursework that counts toward a college degree. Credits are earned…
- College Preparatory (CP) Courses
High school courses designed to prepare students for college-level work as opposed to…
- Course Credit (High School)
A measure of the completion of a high school course, typically based on time spent and…
- Course Rigor
The level of difficulty of high school courses, such as honors, Advanced Placement, or…
- Cumulative GPA
The overall grade point average across all courses taken by a student during their high…
- Dual Credit
Courses that allow high school students to earn both high school and college credit…
- Dual Enrollment
A program allowing high school students to enroll in college courses while still in high…
- Elective (College)
A course that students choose to take outside of their major requirements, often to…
- Elective (High School)
A course that students choose to take in high school outside of the core subjects of…
- Extracurricular Activities (also referred to as Extracurriculars or ECA)
Non-academic activities, such as sports, clubs, volunteer work, or hobbies, that…
- Frosh (High School)
Informal term for a student in the freshman and sophomore year of high school.
- GED (Tests Of General Educational Development)
A high school equivalency test for those who did not complete high school, offering a…
- Grade Point Average (GPA) (College)
The average of a student’s grades used to measure overall academic performance in…
- Grade Point Average (GPA) (High School)
The average of a student’s grades, calculated on a 4.0 scale in the U.S., used to…
- High School Counselor (also called College Counselor, Guidance Counselor, or College Advisor)
A professional who assists students with academic, career, and college planning. While…
- Honors Courses
Advanced high school classes designed to provide more challenging material and often…
- International Baccalaureate
A rigorous pre-university program that offers a globally recognized diploma and…
- International Baccalaureate Certificate Programme
A more focused version of the IB program where students complete fewer courses than the…
- International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
A two-year, comprehensive pre-university program that includes six subjects, an extended…
- Junior Varsity Sports (High School)
The secondary level of high school sports, typically for underclassmen or those not yet…
- Salutatorian (High School)
The student who ranks second highest in a graduating class and delivers the salutatory…
- Unweighted Grade Point Average (Unweighted GPA)
A GPA calculated without considering the difficulty of courses, using only the actual…
- Unweighted Grades
Grades that are not adjusted for the difficulty of the course, meaning an A in an honors…
- Valedictorian
An academic title for the highest-performing student of a graduating class of an…
- Varsity Sport (College)
A sport at the college level in which students compete for their college or university…
- Varsity Sport (High School)
A sport at the high school level in which students compete for their high school against…
- Weighted Grade Point Average (Weighted GPA)
A GPA that takes into account the difficulty of courses by giving extra weight to…
Admission & applications (101)
- A-G Subject Requirement (University of California)
To meet minimum admission requirements for the University of California, high school…
- Academic Preparation
The level of readiness a student has for college-level work, often based on high school…
- Academic Profile
A summary of a student's academic achievements, including GPA, class rank, and…
- Acceptance Letter
A formal notification from a college stating that a student has been admitted. Most…
- Accreditation (High school and College)
The process by which a high school or college is evaluated and certified as meeting…
- Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
A non-profit organization that accredits programs in engineering, technology, and…
- Admission
The process by which a student is accepted into a college or university after meeting…
- Admission Committee
A group of college staff who review and decide on student applications. Some colleges…
- Admission Officer
A staff member responsible for recruiting students and reviewing applications. Junior…
- Admission Rate (or Admit Rate)
The percentage of applicants who are offered admission to a college. Note that the…
- Admission by Exception (University of California)
A policy that allows students who do not meet standard admission criteria to be admitted…
- Admitted Student Days or Events
Campus visits or events for students who have been admitted to a college, giving them a…
- Alumni, Alumna, Alumnus
Graduates of a college. Alumni is plural; alumna is female singular, and alumnus is male…
- Appeals (College Application)
The process of formally challenging a college's decision to deny an applicant admission…
- Appeals (Financial Aid)
The process where a student or family requests a reconsideration of the financial aid…
- Campus Tour
A guided visit to a college campus, allowing prospective students to see facilities and…
- Candidates Reply Date Agreement
A national agreement that gives students until May 1 to accept or decline offers of…
- Class Rank
A ranking of students in a graduating class based on academic performance. The class…
- Coalition Application
A college application platform used by many schools that focuses on providing access to…
- College Application Essay (Personal Statement)
A written essay required by many colleges as part of the application process, where…
- College Fair
An event where representatives from multiple colleges provide information to prospective…
- College Interview (or Campus Interview or Alumni Interview)
A meeting between a prospective student and a college admissions representative, often…
- College List
A student's curated list of schools they are interested in applying to, usually a mix of…
- College Rankings
Lists that rank colleges and universities based on various factors such as academic…
- College Representative (or Regional Representative)
A college staff member responsible for recruiting students from specific geographic…
- Common Application
(also called the Common App): A standardized college application that students can use…
- Community College (also known as Junior College)
A two-year institution offering associate degrees, certifications, and a pathway to…
- Comprehensive Review (University of California)
A holistic evaluation process used in the admissions process at the University of…
- Conditional Admission
Admission offered with the stipulation that the student meets specific requirements…
- Consortium Colleges
A group of colleges that collaborate, allowing students to take courses or use resources…
- Deferral
A decision by a college to delay making a final decision on an applicant until a later…
- Deferred Admission or Deferred Enrollment
When a student postpones enrollment in college after being accepted, usually for a gap…
- Demonstrated Interest
A measure of how much interest an applicant shows in attending a particular college…
- Denial of Admission Letter (or Rejection Letter)
A formal letter informing an applicant that they have not been accepted to a college.
- Direct Admission
A policy where students are admitted directly into their chosen major or program at the…
- Disadvantaged Student
A student who faces social, economic, or academic challenges, often from…
- Diversity
The inclusion of individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, including race…
- Early Action
A non-binding application process where students apply early (typically by November 1 or…
- Early Admission
Allows students to apply to college before completing high school, typically during…
- Early Decision
A binding application process where students apply early (typically by November 1 or 15)…
- Early Decision II
A second round of binding Early Decision applications with a later deadline, offering a…
- Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) (University of California)
A University of California program that guarantees admission to the top 9% of students…
- Eligibility in the Statewide Context (University of California)
A University of California program that guarantees admission to the top 9% of California…
- First-Generation College Student (or First-Gen)
A student whose parents did not attend or graduate from a four-year college or…
- Fly-In Program
A program where colleges pay for high-achieving or underrepresented students to visit…
- Gap Year
A year taken off between high school and college to travel, work, or pursue personal…
- Holistic Review
An admissions process that considers the whole student, including grades, test scores…
- Honors College
A program at a university that provides a more challenging and in-depth learning…
- Impacted Major or Program
A major or program with more applicants than available spaces, often requiring higher…
- Instant Decision
An admissions event where students meet with college representatives, receive an…
- Institutional Priorities
Institutional priorities refer to the goals, preferences, and needs that a college or…
- International Student
A student attending a college or university in a country other than their own. In the…
- Ivy League (or the Ivies)
A group of eight private, prestigious universities in the northeastern U.S., known for…
- Junior Colleges
See Community Colleges above.
- Legacy Applicant
A student whose parent(s) or grandparent(s) attended the college to which they are…
- Letters of Recommendation (also referred to as Rec Letters)
Written endorsements from teachers, counselors, or other adults who know a student well…
- Liberal Arts College
A college focused on undergraduate education in the liberal arts and sciences…
- Median
The middle value in a list of numbers, where half the values are higher and half are…
- Median 25th–75th SAT/ACT Scores for a College
The range of SAT and ACT scores in which the middle 50% of admitted students fall. While…
- Minority
A student from a racial, ethnic, or cultural group that is underrepresented in higher…
- National Association for College Admission Counseling
A professional organization dedicated to supporting college admissions and counseling…
- Non-traditional Student
A student who does not follow the traditional path of enrolling in college right after…
- Numeric Review
An admissions process that focuses primarily on quantitative measures like GPA and test…
- Open Admission
An admissions policy where colleges accept any applicant with a high school diploma or…
- Personal Insight Questions (PIQs) (University of California)
A set of short-answer questions that University of California applicants must respond to…
- Personal Statement (Personal Essay or College Essay)
A narrative essay that applicants submit as part of their college application, offering…
- Portfolio
A collection of work that demonstrates a student’s skills, often required for…
- Priority Date or Deadline
The date by which a college must receive an application in order to be considered for…
- Private College or University
A higher education institution not operated by the government and typically funded…
- Public University
A college or university funded primarily by the state government, offering reduced…
- QuestBridge
A national nonprofit that connects high-achieving, low-income students with top…
- Recruited Athlete
A student who is actively pursued by college coaches to join their sports teams, often…
- Regional Officer or Representative
An admissions officer responsible for a specific geographic area, often serving as the…
- Regular Decision
The standard college application process with a set deadline, typically in January, with…
- Research University
A university that places a strong emphasis on research, often offering a wide range of…
- Restricted Early Action (also known as Single-Choice Early Action)
A type of early application where students apply to one school early, without committing…
- Resume
A summary of a student’s academic achievements, work experience, extracurricular…
- Retention Rate
The percentage of students who return to the same college after their first year, often…
- Rolling Admission
A college admission policy in which applications are reviewed as they are received, with…
- School Profile
A document provided by high schools that offers information about the school’s academic…
- School-Specific Applications
Applications required by individual colleges, in addition to or instead of the Common…
- Selectivity
The percentage of applicants a college admits, with highly selective schools accepting a…
- Self-Reported Academic Record
A system where students report their own high school grades and coursework, which some…
- Senior Profile (or Brag Sheet)
A document where high school students summarize their achievements, activities, and…
- Single-Choice Early Action
See Restrictive Early Action above.
- Sophomore Standing
A designation for students who enter college with enough transfer credits (usually from…
- Spring Admit
A student who is admitted to college in the spring semester instead of the fall…
- Supplement
Additional information or materials required by some colleges as part of the…
- Supplement Essay
An additional essay that some colleges require in the college application, focusing on…
- Transcript
An official record of a student's academic performance in high school and college…
- Transfer Student
A student who moves from one college or university to another to complete their degree…
- Undergraduate
A student who has not yet earned a bachelor’s degree and is pursuing one.
- Universities and Colleges Admissions Service
The centralized application service used for applying to undergraduate programs in the UK.
- Waitlist
A list of applicants who may be offered admission if space becomes available after the…
- Yield Rate
The percentage of admitted students who ultimately choose to enroll at a particular…
- “HYPS”
An acronym referring to a group of four prestigious universities–Harvard, Yale…
- “Match Schools”
Colleges where a student's academic qualifications closely align with the institution's…
- “Public Ivies”
A name given to public universities in the U.S. known for providing an Ivy…
- “Reach Schools”
Colleges where a student’s academic qualifications (GPA, test scores) are below the…
- “Safety Schools”
Colleges where a student’s academic qualifications exceed the institution’s average…
- “Summer Melt”
The phenomenon where high school graduates who plan to attend college fail to enroll due…
Testing (20)
- Accommodations
Adjustments or modifications provided to students with disabilities to ensure equal…
- Admission Tests (also referred to as Standardized Tests)
Standardized tests such as the SAT or ACT, used in the college admissions process to…
- American College Test
A standardized test used in college admissions, measuring skills in English…
- College Board or College Entrance Examination Board
A non-profit organization that administers standardized tests like the SAT and AP exams…
- College Level Examination Program
A series of exams coordinated by the College Board that allow students to earn college…
- Educational Testing Service
A nonprofit organization that administers standardized tests like the SAT, GRE, and TOEFL.
- International English Language Testing System
A standardized test measuring the English language proficiency of non-native speakers…
- National Hispanic Recognition Program
A College Board program that recognizes academically talented Hispanic/Latino high…
- National Merit Scholarship
A prestigious scholarship program that awards students based on their PSAT/NMSQT…
- Official Scores (or Score Reports)
Test scores sent directly from testing agencies (such as the College Board for the SAT)…
- PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, and PSAT 8/9
The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a…
- PreACT and PreACT 8/9
Standardized tests administered to students as a precursor to the ACT, providing…
- SAT
A standardized test used in college admissions, focusing on math, reading, and writing…
- SAT Subject Tests
Subject-specific standardized tests previously offered by the College Board to…
- Score Choice
A College Board policy that allows students to choose which SAT scores to send to…
- Superscore
A practice used by many colleges and universities where applicants’ best section-level…
- Test of English as a Foreign Language
A standardized test measuring the English language proficiency of non-native speakers…
- Test-Blind / Test-Free
A college admissions policy where standardized test scores from the SAT and ACT are not…
- Test-Flexible
A college admissions policy where students are not limited to submitting test scores…
- Test-Optional
A college admissions policy where students are not required to submit standardized test…
Financial aid (40)
- Appeals (College Application)
The process of formally challenging a college's decision to deny an applicant admission…
- Appeals (Financial Aid)
The process where a student or family requests a reconsideration of the financial aid…
- Cal Grant (State of California)
A need-based financial aid program for California residents that can be used at…
- College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile
A financial aid application offered by the College Board and used by about 250 colleges…
- Cost of Attendance
The total estimated cost to attend a college, including tuition, fees, room and board…
- Demonstrated Need
The difference between a student’s expected family contribution and the cost of…
- Dependent Student
A student who relies on parental financial support and whose financial aid eligibility…
- Expected Family Contribution
A measure of a family’s financial strength used to determine financial aid eligibility…
- FSA ID
The FSA ID is a username and password combination used by students and their parents to…
- Fee Waiver
A waiver that allows students to apply to colleges or take standardized tests without…
- Financial Aid
Assistance provided to students to help pay for college, including grants, scholarships…
- Financial Aid Award (or Financial Aid Package)
The total amount of financial assistance offered to a student by a college or the…
- Financial Aid Officer
A college staff member responsible for helping students understand and apply for…
- Financial Need
The amount of money a student needs to attend college after subtracting the Student Aid…
- Free Application for Federal Student Aid
(FAFSA®): The primary form used by U.S. students to apply for federal financial aid…
- Gapping
Gapping occurs when a college or university offers a student financial aid that does not…
- Grant
A type of financial aid that does not need to be repaid, usually awarded based on…
- Income Protection Allowance
The amount of a family's income that is shielded from consideration when determining…
- Independent Student
A student who is not financially dependent on their parents or guardians, often used in…
- Meet Full Need
This refers to a college's policy of providing enough financial aid to cover the full…
- Merit Scholarship
Financial aid awarded based on academic, athletic, or other achievements, rather than…
- Need-Aware Admission
An admissions policy in which a student's financial need is considered as part of the…
- Need-Based Scholarship
Financial aid awarded based on a student's financial need, as determined by the Free…
- Need-Blind Admission
An admissions policy in which a student's financial situation is not considered when…
- Net Price
The actual cost a student will pay to attend a college, after accounting for…
- Net Price Calculator
An online tool provided by colleges that helps students estimate the cost of attendance…
- No-Loan Policy
A financial aid policy where a college provides aid packages without requiring students…
- Parent PLUS Loan (or Direct PLUS Loan)
Federal loans available to parents of dependent undergraduate students to help pay for…
- Pell Grant
A need-based federal grant awarded to low-income undergraduate students to help pay for…
- Professional judgment (Financial Aid)
The process by which a college financial aid administrator can adjust a student's…
- Room and Board
The cost of living in a college residence hall (room) and the meals provided by the…
- Scholarship
Financial aid awarded to students based on merit, need, or special qualifications, which…
- Student Aid Index
The number used by colleges to determine how much financial aid a student is eligible to…
- Student Aid Report
A summary of the information submitted on the FAFSA®, used by colleges to determine…
- Student Amenities Fee
A mandatory fee that helps fund non-academic services and facilities, such as…
- Student Loans
Money borrowed by students to pay for college, which must be repaid with interest after…
- Subsidized Loans
Federal student loans where the government pays the interest while the student is in…
- Tuition
The cost of instruction at a college or university, usually charged per credit hour or…
- Unsubsidized Loans
Federal student loans where interest accrues while the student is in school and the…
- Work-study
A federal program that provides part-time jobs for students with financial need…
College life & academics (72)
- Academic Calendar (High school and College)
The schedule of an academic year, outlining important dates such as the start and end of…
- Articulation Agreement
A formal agreement between two colleges or universities to transfer credits toward a…
- Associate’s Degree, Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Science (AS), Associate of Applied Science
A two-year degree awarded by community colleges, technical colleges, or other…
- Audit
The option to take a college course without receiving a grade or credit. While auditing…
- Bachelor's Degree, Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science
A four-year undergraduate degree offered by colleges and universities. Earning a…
- Blue Light System
A campus safety feature involving strategically placed emergency phones, often with a…
- Breadth Requirements (also known as General Education Requirements or Distribution Requirements)
Courses outside of a student's major that are required to ensure a well-rounded…
- Chancellor (College)
The head or leader of a college or university, typically responsible for overall…
- Club Sports (College)
Student-organized athletic teams that compete against other colleges but are not…
- Cooperative Education (Co-op)
An experiential learning program where college students alternate between academic…
- Core Curriculum
A set of required courses that all students must complete, regardless of their major, to…
- Dean (College)
An academic administrator in charge of a specific area, such as a department or college…
- Distance Learning
Education in which students take courses online or remotely rather than in person…
- Distribution Requirements
See Breadth Requirements above
- Division I, II, III (also referred to as D1, D2, and D3)
The three levels of athletic competition governed by the NCAA, with Division I being the…
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
The highest academic degree awarded by universities, typically requiring original…
- Dormitory (or Dorms)
On-campus housing for students, usually shared with roommates, providing convenient…
- Double Major
When a student completes two sets of major requirements, earning one degree in two…
- Dual Degree
A program where a student earns two degrees, often in different fields, from the same or…
- Educational Opportunity Program
A program offered by colleges and universities to provide academic and financial…
- Elective (College)
A course that students choose to take outside of their major requirements, often to…
- Elective (High School)
A course that students choose to take in high school outside of the core subjects of…
- Externship
A short-term job shadowing or work experience program, often without pay, that provides…
- Fraternity
A social organization for male college students that promotes brotherhood, philanthropy…
- General Education Requirements
See Breadth Requirements above.
- Grade Point Average (GPA) (College)
The average of a student’s grades used to measure overall academic performance in…
- Grade Point Average (GPA) (High School)
The average of a student’s grades, calculated on a 4.0 scale in the U.S., used to…
- Graduate Student
A student who has earned a bachelor’s degree and is pursuing an advanced degree, such as…
- Greek System
The system of fraternities and sororities on college campuses, often focused on social…
- Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
Colleges and universities established primarily to serve African American students…
- Humanities
Academic disciplines focused on human culture, such as literature, philosophy, history…
- Interdisciplinary Major
A major that combines two or more academic disciplines, allowing students to study…
- Internship
A temporary work experience, often related to a student’s field of study, that can be…
- Intramural Sports
Recreational sports leagues or activities organized within a school, often allowing…
- January Term (or J-Term)
A short academic term, often lasting a few weeks in January, where students can take…
- Learning Disability
A condition that affects a student’s ability to learn in a typical manner, often…
- Liberal Arts Education
An education that emphasizes a broad-based curriculum in the humanities, social…
- Lower Division Courses
Courses taken in the first two years of undergraduate study. Lower division courses…
- Lower Division Student
A student who is in their first or second year of college, typically working on…
- Major
The primary field of study a student focuses on during their undergraduate education. A…
- Master's Degree
A graduate-level degree that typically follows a bachelor's degree and involves…
- Minor
A secondary field of study outside of a student’s major, usually requiring fewer…
- National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
An association that governs small colleges and universities, providing student-athletes…
- National Collegiate Athletic Association
The primary governing body for collegiate athletics in the U.S., setting rules for…
- Open Curriculum
A curriculum that allows students to take courses of their choosing with few or no core…
- Pass-Fail
A grading option where students receive a "pass" or "fail" instead of a traditional…
- Placement Tests
Exams taken by students, usually before beginning college, to determine the appropriate…
- Prerequisites
Courses or requirements that a student must complete before enrolling in a higher-level…
- President (College)
The highest-ranking administrative officer at a college or university, responsible for…
- Provost (College)
The senior academic officer of a college or university, responsible for overseeing…
- Quadrangle (or Quad)
An open, grassy area surrounded by buildings, typically at the center of a college…
- Quarter system
An academic calendar where the school year is divided into four 10-week terms, including…
- Regent (College)
A member of the governing board of a college or university, responsible for making…
- Registrar (College)
The college official responsible for maintaining student academic records, including…
- Research (Faculty-led)
Research projects directed by faculty members, often involving students as assistants or…
- Research (Independent)
Research projects designed and conducted by students, sometimes with minimal faculty…
- Reserve Officers' Training Corps
A college program that prepares students for military service as officers, often…
- Residence Halls
On-campus housing provided by the college or university, typically offering shared rooms…
- Resident Advisor or Assistant
A student leader who lives in a residence hall and is responsible for supporting and…
- Residential College
A housing arrangement that combines living and learning, with students and faculty…
- Semester System
An academic calendar divided into two main terms (semesters), usually lasting about…
- Services for Students with Disabilities
College services that provide accommodations and support to students with documented…
- Social Sciences
A broad field of study that explores human society and social relationships, including…
- Sororities
Social organizations for female college students, often focused on community service…
- Study Abroad
A program allowing students to study in a foreign country for a semester, year, or…
- Study Away
Similar to study abroad, but takes place within the same country, allowing students to…
- Teaching Assistant
A graduate or upper-class undergraduate student who assists a professor in teaching…
- Trimester
An academic calendar divided into three terms, usually lasting around 10–12 weeks each.
- Upper Division Courses
Advanced courses typically taken by students who have completed lower-division…
- Upper Division Student
A student who is in their third or fourth year of college, usually focused on advanced…
- Varsity Sport (College)
A sport at the college level in which students compete for their college or university…
- Varsity Sport (High School)
A sport at the high school level in which students compete for their high school against…
