Glossary of Terms

Academic Advisor - a faculty member or counselor trained to help students with academic information guiding them to enroll in classes that relate to their academic goals

Articulation - the movement of students' academic credits from one point to another; including admission, exclusion, readmission, advising, counseling, planning, and course/credit evaluation

Articulation Agreement - a formal agreement between educational institutions indicating what courses/credits can be transferred

Associate Degree - is awarded by two-year colleges after completing two years of study, typically 60 credit hours; includes Associate of Arts (A.A.), Associate of Science (A.S.), Associate of Applied Arts (A.A.A.), and Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.)

Baccalaureate Degree - is awarded by four-year colleges or universities after completing four years of study, typically 120 credit hours; includes Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Community College - any institution regionally accredited to award an associate degree as its highest degree

Core Curriculum - the general education classes considered essential for a suitable education and required for an associate and/or baccalaureate degree

Credit Hour - the unit of measuring educational credit based on the number of classroom hours per week

Degree Audit - a process where a student's academics is reviewed and compared to the requirements for a selected degree and shows the student what courses are still needed

Developmental Courses - courses that provide students with the fundamentals to prepare them for college-level courses

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) - a federal application for financial aid but is used to apply for aid; including aid from other resources

Full-time - a student enrolled in 12 or more credit hours per semester

Grant - financial aid based on need that does not need to be repaid

General Education Requirements - required courses from several subject areas required for graduation by state law

GPA (Grade Point Average) - the average of the total number of grade points earned divided by the number of credits attempted

Half-time - a student enrolled in 6 to 11 credit hours per semester

Honor's Society - a society for recognition of scholarly achievement, particularly for undergraduates

Letter of Recommendation - a letter of support that gives a more detailed description of a student and their potential

Non-Traditional Student - a student attending college as an adult and not directly from high school

Open Admissions - a policy permitting a student's enrollment without regard to academic qualifications

Orientation - an event held by the university to familiarize incoming students with the university; includes showing the students the campus and informing them of different programs and opportunities available on campus

Private Schools - schools that are solely funded through donations and tuition, therefore do not need to abide by state and federal guidelines except to obtain/maintain accreditation

Public Schools - schools that are state and federally funded, therefore need to abide by state and federal guidelines

Scholarships - a gift of money awarded to a student based on scholarly knowledge/merit, to help with educational expenses

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) - an acronym used by the National Science Foundation (NSF)

Student Loan - financial assistance offered to students to assist in educational expenses, requires repayment

Unsubsidized - interest needs to be paid immediately, even while student is in school, interest deferred and to be paid with payments after six month grace period post-graduation

Subsidized - available to low-income students, the federal government pays interest while the student is in school with a six month grace period post-graduation

Lateral Transfer - transfer from one college to another of the same level

Reverse Transfer - transfer from a four-year college or university to a two-year college

Vertical Transfer - transfer from a two-year college to a four-year college or university