Glossary of college terms
Many colleges use the following terms, but their definitions may vary slightly.
Accreditation:
An endorsement given to educational institutions or academic degree programs by an organization that reviews qualifications.
Associate's degree:
A two-year degree from a community or junior college.
Audit:
To attend a class without receiving credit for the class.
Bachelor's degree:
A four-year degree from a college, university or professional school; usually requires at least 124 credit hours.
Course numbers:
Numbers assigned to specific classes.
Credit hour:
Credit given for attending one lecture hour of class each week for 15 weeks or equivalent. Most college classes are three credit hours, meaning their total meeting time for a week is three hours.
Degree:
A certificate of completion of a course of study.
Degree plan:
A specific list of required courses and electives to be completed for a degree.
Doctoral degree:
The most advanced degree that can be earned.
Fees:
Course-related costs to attend college.
Flat-rate tuition:
Policy instituted by some institutions in which students are charged a single rate beyond a certain number of credit hours taken.
Freshman:
A student who has completed less than 30 hours of college credit.
Full time:
Twelve or more credit hours per semester for undergraduate students.
GPA:
Grade point average; the average of your class grades, generally based on a 4.0 scale.
Grants:
Financial assistance that does not require repayment.
Half time:
Six credit hours per semester for undergraduate students.
Internship:
A job in a student's field of study; may be required in some academic programs and may include salary and college credit.
Junior:
A student who has completed 60 to 89 college credit hours.
Loans:
Financial assistance that must be repaid.
Long session:
Regular fall or spring semester.
Major:
A student's concentrated field of study.
Master's degree:
A graduate degree that usually requires two or more years of study beyond the bachelor's degree.
Minor:
A student's secondary field of study.
Nonresident:
Any student who lives out of state or does not meet specific state residency requirements.
Online courses:
Classes held on the Internet instead of in a traditional classroom.
Prerequisite:
A course that must be taken prior to enrollment in another course.
Private university:
A non-state assisted college or university that relies on private funding, tuition and fees.
Public university:
A state-assisted college or university.
Registration:
Enrollment in classes.
Resident:
A student who meets state residency requirements.
Rolling admission:
Policy in which a school sends out acceptance letters to students as they are accepted.
Scholarships:
Financial assistance based on merit; do not require repayment.
Semester hour:
See Credit hour.
Senior:
A student who has completed 90 or more hours of college credit but has not received a bachelor's degree.
Sophomore:
A student who has completed 30 to 59 college credit hours.
Summer session:
A summer term of approximately six weeks.
Three-quarter time:
Nine credit hours for undergraduate students.
Tuition:
Costs for courses, not including certain fees.
Web-based classes:
See Online courses.
Web registration:
Registration through the Internet for classes.
Work-study program:
A federal financial aid program that allows students to work on campus.