Financial Aid
Money given to help students meet college related expenses. Examples of financial aid include scholarships, loans, and grants.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
An application used by students to apply for federal need-based financial aid.

Grade Point Average (GPA)
Average grade a student has earned. This is usually based on a four-point scale with an “A” equal to a 4 and an “F” equal to a 0.

Graduate Degree
A master’s, doctoral or professional degree. This is sometimes referred to as a postgraduate degree.

Graduate Student
A student enrolled in a master’s, doctoral, or professional degree. Graduate students generally complete a bachelor’s degree prior to enrolling in a graduate degree program. However, there are professional graduate-level programs that do not require completion of a bachelor’s degree.

Higher Education
Education following high school, typically college education.

Interview
A personal meeting with an admissions officer or other individual as part of the admission process.

Open Enrollment
Admissions policy of offering admission to all qualified applicants without regard to previous academic grades or admission examination scores.

Postsecondary education
Education completed after high school.

Private College
A college that is not administered or funded by a government. There are for-profit and not-for-profit private colleges.

Public College
A college that is primarily funded through government funding.

Legacy
An applicant to a college that was previously attended by one or both parents.

Major
An academic field of study that students may select as an area of focus.

Minimum Requirements
The basic requirements applicants must meet to be considered for admission.

Orientation
A one- or two-day introduction to the college for newly accepted students.

Rolling Admission
A college admissions model that allows applicants to submit applications at any date prior to the beginning of classes. When admissions offices use the rolling admissions model, applications are reviewed by the admissions office as they are received and admissions decisions are made as the applications are reviewed.

Student-Faculty Ratio
The number of students attending a college compared to the number of faculty members.

Teacher Recommendation (Also called teacher evaluations)
Letter or form completed by applicants’ teachers to evaluate their students who are applying to college.

Transcript
A list of completed coursework and grades earned by a student.

Undergraduate Degree
An associate or bachelor’s degree.

Undergraduate Student
A college student who is working on an undergraduate degree.

University
A post-secondary institution of higher education that offers at least one graduate degree.

Waitliist
A list of applicants who were neither offered nor denied admission. Students on the list will be offered admission if a space becomes available after accepted students have made their college decisions.