Glossary of
College Terms
AA (Associate of Arts): A two-year community college degree.
Academic Calendar: Breaks the school year into one of the following:
Accreditation: The recognition by an outside agency that a school maintains high standards which enable students to qualify for admission to other accredited institutions.
ACT (American College Test): ACT is accepted by the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) in place of the SAT I to meet admission requirements and is required by certain colleges, especially those in the Midwest.
Admission Requirements: A set of rules established by each college for a student to be accepted.
Advanced Standing: Admission status when a student has completed more than 12 college credits.
“a-g” Pattern: Refers to the list of subjects required for
admission by the
a. World
b. English (Composition/Literature) 4 years
c. Algebra 1, Geometry and Algebra II 3 years
d. Biology, Chemistry or Physics 2 years
e. Foreign Language 2 years
f. Visual/Performing Art 1 year
g. Electives* 1 year
*In grades 10-12, 2 years (4 semesters) in at least two of the following areas: advanced math, lab science, English, history, foreign language, social studies or fine arts.
AP (Advanced Placement): A system by which college freshmen may by-pass entry level courses by proving that they have already taken the equivalent in high school. Credit is awarded if a student earns a certain grade on an AP exam taken in high school.
AS (Associate of Science): A two-year community college degree.
Audit: To attend a class for the purpose of reviewing the information. No grades or credits are given.
BA (Bachelor of Arts) or BS (Bachelor of Science): A four-year college degree.
CAHSEE (
CHSPE (
Class Rank:
College Board: A nonprofit organization that provides tests and many other educational services for students, schools and colleges.
College Catalog: A book published by a college describing requirements for admission, degrees and services offered, and course descriptions. The College/Career Center has most college catalogs and the addresses of all other colleges.
“Credit” or “Semester Hours” or “Unit Hours” or “Quarter Hours” or “Unit”: A way of referring to credits that are earned in a course. Approximately 64 total credits are needed for an AA degree, and 124 total credits for a BA degree for schools on a semester calendar. If a class meets three hours per week, it is usually a 3 credit course. A full-time student at college is usually defined as one who attends 3 to 4 classes and earns 12 credits per semester or quarter.
CSF (
C.S.U. (
Cumulative Record or Transcript: The complete record of all courses and grades earned. Your transcript is a copy of your cumulative record.
Degree: Titles given to college graduates upon completion of a program. A four-year degree is usually a BA or BS, a fifth or sixth year degree is often an MA (Masters of Arts), with a Doctoral degree (Ph.D.) requiring five additional years beyond the BA/BS.
Early Action: Under this plan, highly qualified candidates who apply early may receive offers of admission by mid-December. Unlike the Early Decision Plan, the Early Action Plan does not allow an institution to request an applicant to make a prior commitment to matriculate, indicate college preferences, or make any response to an offer of admission until the traditional May 1 candidate’s reply date.
Early Decision: Some colleges offer to notify applicants of acceptance or rejection during the first semester of the senior year. There are two types of early decision plans: the single-choice plan, in which students cannot apply to other colleges until they have been notified by the early decision college. In the first-choice plan, students may apply to other colleges, but name the early decision college as their first choice and agree to enroll at that college and withdraw all other applications if accepted. Check with the college(s).
Early Evaluation Procedure: A student can apply under early evaluation to find out if the chance of acceptance is good, fair, or poor. Applications are due before the regular admission deadline, and the student is given an opinion between January and March.
Elective: A course needed for graduation credit, but not one of the specific course requirements.
ELC (Eligibility in the Local
Context): Under the
Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) pathway, the top four
percent of students at each participating
EOP (Educational
ETS (Educational Testing Service): The operational phase of many College Board programs, including the development and administration of the Board’s major testing programs, are carried out under contract by the Educational Testing Service. ETS is a separate and independent government non-profit organization.
FAFSA: The Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The application for federal student financial aid, processed at no cost to the applicant. It is used to determine a student’s eligibility for federal grant, loan and work funds.
Fee: A sum of money which must be paid for a variety of things in college, such as admission, registration, graduation, health services, etc.
Fee Waiver: A form available to students whose eligibility is primarily determined by membership in a family whose annual income falls within guidelines based on number of dependents and family income. The Fee Waiver is submitted instead of money when applying for college testing or admission.
Financial Aid: Money from a variety of sources (grant, loan, scholarship, work study) that helps pay for college costs. The “package” of funds is determined by family financial need and the availability of funds.
Financial Need: The difference between your expected contribution and the school’s student budget; also known as financial aid eligibility.
Full-Time Student: A college student who generally takes a minimum of either 12 units per quarter or 12 units per semester.
GED (General Educational Development Examination): A series of tests that adults or students aged 18 (17½) or older take to qualify for a high school equivalency certificate or diploma. Some colleges will accept satisfactory GED test results in place of a high school diploma. Students may not take the GED until they are at least 17. (A letter of permission from the high school is required.)
General Education Requirements (also called Breadth Requirements): Courses selected from several divisions required for a college degree. These are completed the first two years of college. The second two years involve coursework in major and minor areas.
GPA (Grade Point Average): A student’s average grade, computed on a four point scale. An “A” counts as 4; a “B” as 3; a “C” as 2; a “D” as 1; an “F” as 0. Each student has several GPAs: one for the semester, one for cumulative GPA which includes previous semester, and a college admission GPA that includes a certain combination of grades, usually from the sophomore and junior years. The GPA for car insurance discount includes the last semester grades. The GPA for the CSU/UC systems include just those grades earned after 9th grade in the “a-g” pattern of courses. One point is added for each C- or higher grade in approved honors and AP classes in year 11-12.
Grants: Financial aid that does not need to be repaid, usually awarded based on need, but can be awarded for academic achievement, special skill, talent, heritage, or other criteria.
Impacted Program: A college degree program that receives more applications than it can accommodate. Therefore, it can be temporarily closed to new students, or may require supplementary paperwork and/or screening of student records.
Independent (Private): A school which is not supported by state taxes.
Lower Division: Refers to courses usually completed in the first two years of college.
MA (Master of Art): A college degree usually requiring one or two years work beyond the BA.
Major: The main area of study in college, usually requiring about one year in a planned series of courses in a four year program.
Minor: Approximately 18 credits in an area outside a student’s major department.
Pell Grant: Financial aid from the federal government available to students with great financial need to be used at many types of colleges and vocational schools. Apply in January of the senior year.
Prerequisites: Courses, test scores and/or grade level that must be completed before taking a specific course.
PSAT/NMSQT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test): A shortened version of the SAT offered in October to high school juniors. The scores are helpful in all college admission planning and/or qualifying for National Merit Scholarships.
Qualified Acceptance: Occasionally an institution postpones action on an application and will suggest that the applicant pursue a particular course in its summer session. Upon satisfactory completion of this course, the college agrees to accept the student for its regular degree programs at the beginning of the first or second semester.
Rolling Admissions: This means that a college gives an admissions decision as soon as possible after an application is completed and does not specify a notification deadline. Usually, it is wise to apply early to such colleges, since applications are normally not accepted after the admissions quota has been reached.
ROP (Regional Occupational Program): This program offers specialized training to high school juniors and seniors or students who are 16 years of age.
ROTC: Many colleges have units of the Reserve Officer’s Training Corps that offer two and four year programs of military training culminating in an officer’s commission. In some colleges, credit for the courses can be applied toward a degree. ROTC scholarships are available which pay for full college costs.
SAT I (Reasoning Test): A college admission exam measuring critical reading, mathematics and writing skills.
SAT II (Subject Test): Effective for students entering UC as a freshman for Fall-2006. Each applicant must submit scores in two different subject areas: history/social science, English literature, mathematics (Level 2C), laboratory science or language other than English.
Scholarships: Gifts of money awarded for achievement, skills, talents and/or financial need.
SDQ (Student Descriptive Questionnaire): A questionnaire that can be completed by students when they register for the SAT I or SAT II tests. It gives the student an opportunity to provide information about educational objectives, extra-curricular activities, academic record, and areas in which counseling or assistance may be needed.
SIR (Statement of Intent to Register): This is the form that must be returned to the college of your choice by a specified date, usually at the beginning of May (May 1). It confirms a student’s intent to register at the college and reserves a spot.
Summer Session: College Summer School. Open entry (not “formal” admission) makes it possible for students to take classes at almost any campus and then transfer it to the “home” campus towards their degree. Students who plan to continue in the fall must file for fall admission.
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): An English exam for foreign students used for admission purposes and for placement in college English classes.
Transcript: A copy of your official record of grades and courses from time of entrance to the end of the last semester.
Transfer Courses: College courses giving credit that may be transferred to another college.
Transfer Students: College students who transfer from one college to another, usually at the end of the sophomore year. Changing colleges during the junior or senior year, when the student is completing major requirements, is not recommended.
Tuition: A fee that is paid for instruction in a school, college or university.
U.C. (
Undergraduate: College student who has not yet received a bachelor’s degree.
Upper-Division Courses: Courses designated for the junior and senior years of college.
Wait List: In addition to accepting and rejecting applicants, many colleges place students on a waiting list for admission. As accepted applicants decide to attend other colleges, the school will offer their places to students on the waiting list.
Work Study: A federally funded program that makes part-time jobs available to students with financial need.