College Terms

Proficiency exams given to students who want college credit. Not taken with a class.

A job (typically on campus) that allows a student to earn money to help pay college costs.

A list of college applicants who haven’t been accepted or denied

A college student who supervises the other students living in a college dorm

A form that all students must fill out to be considered for federal financial aid.

Official academic record from the student’s school that shows courses, grades, and dates

A course taken in preparation for another course.

A process of reviewing and making decisions on applications as they are received

A unit of measurement a course is worth, usually based on the number of 1 hour classes per week

App in which a student submits an app. to a college by a date and receives a decision by 4/15

A student’s decision to put off a college’s offer of admission to take a 1 year absence.

The undergraduate degree offered by four-year universities. Usually requires 120 credit hours.

A form of financial aid based on need, funded by the government or nonprofit institutions

Your main field of study in an undergraduate program, typically requiring 60 credit hours

General application for 517 colleges and universities throughout the United States and abroad

Credit for previously completed college-level work or verifying knowledge by taking AP exams

A form and process a student fills out to request consideration of special circumstances.

Master’s Degree plus advanced graduate courses in specialized area. Requires 3-5 years post M.A

A process where students apply to a school early, they are allowed to apply to other schools

An explanation of the financial aid a college will give a student (grants/scholarships)

Enrolled in 12-15 credit hours in a semester (depending on the school)

Your secondary field of study, often providing more of a specialization to support your major

A process that allows students to apply to 1 university with the promise to attend if accepted

A class not required for your major or minor. These are courses you take for fun or interest

An amount the student and student’s family are expected to contribute toward his/her education

Financial aid that is awarded based on a student’s ability to pay for college.

A student who does not want to receive credit in a course may, stay in the class as a "visitor"