College Terminology

Academic Advisor- A professional staff changes in their course schedules without having
member assigned to advise students individually the changes entered on their permanent record.
on choice of major, selection of courses, and
Elective- A class you can take that is not
degree requirements.
specifically required for your major or minor.
Academic Probation- Threat of dismissal for
Faculty- The faculty is composed of all persons
failing to achieve or maintain a specific level of
who teach classes for college (also known as a
academic performance. Each college has its own
professor).
guidelines for placing and removing students
from probationary status. FAFSA- Free Application for Federal Student
Aid. The universal application for financial aid,
Academic Year- An academic year consists of
including loans, grants, college work-study and
two semesters (Fall & Spring) and any required
other federal and state programs.
summer/winter sessions, during which students
may enroll in classes. Financial Aid- Aid is made available from
grants, scholarships, loans, and part-time
Audit (a course)- To attend a class without
employment from federal, state, institutional,
receiving academic credit.
and private sources. Awards from these
Bachelor’s Degree- A degree awarded to programs may be combined in an “awards
undergraduates, usually after four years of package” to meet the cost of education. The type
college classes. of awards and amount are determined by
financial need, available funds, student
CLEP- The College Level Examination
classification, academic performance, and
Program can be administered to students who
sometimes the timeliness of application.
desire to obtain college credit by taking
proficiency tests in selected courses. If the FERPA- (Family Educational Rights and
student scores high enough on the test, college Privacy Act) Describes parents’ rights regarding
credit can be awarded. their children’s educational records. These rights
transfer to the students at either age 18 or
Clery Report- A report of a campus’ crime
entrance into a postsecondary institution.
statistics published annually.
General Education Classes- Classes that give
Credit Hours- The number of hours assigned to
students basic knowledge of a variety of topics.
a specific class. This is usually the number of
Students often must take general education
hours per week you are in class. The number of
classes in order to graduate.
credit hours you enroll in determines whether
you are a full-time or part-time student. Grade Point Average (GPA)- Measure of
student’s overall academic performance.
Dean- Senior academic officer who oversees a
Individual course grades are assigned a point
college or school in the larger institution. There
value (typically on a four-point scale.) Total
is also a Dean of Students, who has
number of points earned divided by number of
responsibility for the out-of-class experience.
course credits attempted is the GPA.
Drop/Add- Period at the beginning of the
academic term when students may make
Grant- A form of financial aid from a non-profit
organization (such as the government) that you
do not have to repay.
Greek Life- Fraternity and sorority Greek letter
social organizations.
HIPPA- (Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act) Protects the privacy of
individually identifiable health information. For
parents, this means they may not have access to
their student’s health records.
Independent Study- A program where students
take a course for academic credit under a
professor’s direction without classroom
participation.
Internship- Work experience (often unpaid) for
which students receive academic credit towards
their major. The student may be required to
write a paper or make a presentation on the
experience.
Lab- A required, hands-on course that allows
students to test and explore concepts from a
related lecture course. Typically associated with
the sciences, but other courses may also require
labs.
Learning Specialist- Learning specialists assist
students interested in developing course specific
learning strategies. In addition, this resource
assists students identifying their learning style.
Living-learning Communities (LLC)-
Academic-focused residential communities
where students live and learn together.
Major- A primary fired of study. Students must
complete a specified number of courses in
specialized area of study.
Minor- A secondary field of study. In some
cases, the minor is related or complementary to
the major.
Office Hours- Time set aside by professors or
teaching assistants for students to visit their
office and ask questions or discuss the course
they teach. Your professor will tell you at the
beginning of the term when and where office
hours will be every week.
Pass/Fail Course- A class grading system that
offers pass or fail determination instead of a
letter grade. Students may receive credit for
courses with a passing grade, but these courses
are not included in the GPA calculation.
Prerequisite Course- A prerequisite course is a
course taken in preparation for another course.
For example, Algebra 1 is a prerequisite for
Algebra 2.
Reading Day- Is a designated day to study for
finals exams. Reading days occur before final
exams begin and there are no classes, exams or
presentations during this day.
Registrar- Administrator who processes and
maintains student transcripts and other official
records associated with student attendance and
course completion.
Resident Assistants (RA)- Upper-division
students trained to help undergraduates adjust to
college. In addition, they are responsible for
enforcing institutional policies related to
community living.
Scholarship- Scholarships are money awarded
to qualified students and do not have to be
repaid.
Student Loans- Student loans are low-interest
loans available to students for educational
expenses; repayment of most loans begins after
completion of degree requirements or
termination of attendance.
Subsidized Loan- Is a federal loan for
undergraduate students based on financial need.
While in school, no interested is charged to the
student if you’re at least half-time, the first 6
months after leaving school, and the period of
deferment.
Syllabus- A professor’s plan of action for the
class. It is a schedule of requirements, usually
explaining course purpose and goals, listing
deadlines and important dates, and outlining the
 student’s responsibilities (e.g., assigned
readings, papers, exams.)
Teaching Assistants (TA)- Usually graduate
students who either serve as instructors in
introductory courses or assist faculty members
with lab instruction, small-group work or
grading.
Transcript- the official compilation of courses
taken and grades received during the student’s
college career.
References:

Unsubsidized
Mullendore, Loans-
R., & Banaham, Is a federal
L. (2014). loanthefor
Navigating first college year. Columbia, SC, National Resources Center for The First-Year
Experience.
undergraduate and graduate students regardless
Etheredge, B. (2018). College Terminology. Retrieved December 10, 2018, from http://www.collegeprep101.com/college-
of income or your financial need. Students are
terminology.html
charged(n.d.).
Course Actions. interest from the
Retrieved loan disbursement
December 10, 2018, from https://registrar.camden.rutgers.edu/course-actions#add
through the life of the loan.
Withdraw- A term used when students choose
to reduce their course load after the drop/add
process. If withdrawing after the drop/add
period, students will receive a “W” on their
transcript. In addition, financial aid status may
be affected if a student drops below full-time
status.
Work-study Programs- Campus jobs offered to
students who are eligible for federal financial
assistance.