College Admissions Glossary of Terms
College/University Terms:
Accelerated Degree Programs: An accelerated degree program reduces the amount of time it takes to obtain an undergraduate degree by at least one year. Most accelerated degree programs allow a student to obtain a bachelor’s degree in three years or less. They are often combined with some type of graduate program like a 7 year BS/MD program.
Bachelor of Arts (BA): An undergraduate degree from a 4-year institution that is typically earned in an arts or humanity subject. Some majors, such as Economics or Computer Science, can lead to either a BA or a BS, with different required courses.
Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA): An undergraduate degree from a 4-year institution that is typically earned in dance or drama studies, or in studio arts.
Bachelor of Music (BM): An undergraduate degree from a 4-year institution that is typically earned in music studies.
Bachelor of Science (BS): An undergraduate degree from a 4-year institution that is typically earned in a science or math subject. See BA description above for how some subjects can lead to be a BA or BS degree.
College: An institution of higher learning offering a course of studies leading to a bachelor's degree. Colleges typically do not have graduate students.
Community College (CC) : A public institution of higher learning that primarily leads to a 2-year associates of arts or science degree. A growing trend is that an increasing number of CCs are offering 4-year Bachelor degrees.
Core Curriculum: Typically there are types of courses or particular classes that each student must take which are often called distribution or general education requirements. An example of this might be that each student must take 2 natural science classes, 2 social science classes and 3 semesters of a language etc.
Historically Black College or University (HBCU): In Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965, Congress officially defined HBCUs as institutions of higher learning that were accredited and established before 1964, and whose principal mission is the education of Black Americans.
Honors College or Program: A smaller more individualized program for top students of that university. There can be many perks of being in an honors college such as smaller classes, special classes and housing and priority registration. There is usually more rigor and work with these programs as well.
Major: An academic field that a student chooses to focus on. Typically that student will need to take a large number of classes in that subject.
Minor: An academic field that a student chooses to focus on that typically requires a smaller number of classes than a major.
Open Curriculum: There are no or very few required courses and instead students choose whichever courses they want to take. Students will still need to satisfy the requirements related to their major.
Private Colleges: Independent postsecondary institutions not substantially funded by the government.
Public Colleges: Government-funded postsecondary institutions that generally offer lower tuition rates to state residents. These include universities and community colleges.
Small Liberal Arts College (SLAC): Typically a private college that encourages a broad education with a student enrollment of under 3,000.
State Flagship: Typically the most prominent public university in the state. A major purpose of a public flagship is to provide a high-quality, comprehensive university that's affordable for a state's best students.
University: An institution of higher learning offering many disciplines of advanced learning, conferring not only bachelors degrees but also graduate degrees. Most universities are made up of multiple colleges which could include, for example, a liberal arts college, a business college, an engineering college, a communications college etc.
Admissions/Application Language*:
Acceptance/Admission: An offer of admission to a college for its incoming class.
Activities List: A section within the Common Application where students can list and briefly describe up to 10 activities they have engaged in, ranging from arts and athletics to employment and other commitments such as caring for siblings. For more about activities read our past blog.
Admissions Decision: The outcome determined by a college's admissions committee regarding a student's application. Possible decisions include acceptance/admission, deferral to the regular decision pool (for applications submitted in the early rounds), placement on a waitlist, or denial of admission.
Admission Rate: The proportion of the pool of applicants that is admitted to the college. Unless a college specifies otherwise, the acceptance rate refers to the entire applicant pool across all application rounds.
Admission Requirements: Colleges specify the minimum number of high school courses in each academic discipline they want to see their applicants have taken. In order to be a competitive applicant at selective colleges, many if not most candidates will go beyond these requirements.
Admissions Interview: A conversation between a student and a representative of the college (such as a current student, alumni, or staff member), either in person or online. Interviews can be evaluative (in other words, they play a role in the admissions review process), or informational only.
Advanced Placement (AP): College level courses for high schools students offered by the College Board that have specific curricula in a large number of subjects. Students may take an AP exam in May to potentially earn college credit. Many students choose to report these scores on their college applications.
Applicant: A student who has submitted an application to a college or university.
Application Deadline: The date and time after which applications for admission will not be accepted.
Articulation Agreement: An agreement between two and four-year public colleges that delineates which classes can be transferred for credit and what grades are necessary in those classes.
Change in Progression Question: An optional question on the Common App for students who need to explain things like attending more than one high school, graduating early, taking a gap year, or having a break in schooling.
Class Rank: The ranking of a student within their high school class, based on their grade point average (GPA).
Coalition Application: An alternative to the Common Application, this platform is accepted by over 150 universities in the U.S. and includes sections for a personal statement, activities, and other custom materials. It also offers resources for students with limited access to college preparatory services. The Coalition App was recently acquired by SCOIR, a college planning network.
Common Application: An online application system accepted by over 1,000 universities worldwide, it consists of a “Common App” section plus each college within the “My Colleges” section asks students to answer questions specific to their college.
Community Essay: A supplemental essay prompt that asks students to write about their involvement and growth in their community, whether that's a school, neighborhood, or another group.
Courses and Grades: This is a part of the Common App where students report courses taken and grades since 9th grade that some colleges require students to fill out.
Deferred Admission Decision: A decision where a student's early application is neither accepted nor denied but is instead moved into the regular decision pool for reconsideration with other applicants.
Delayed Admission/Spring Start: When a student is offered admission to start in the Spring, rather than the fall.
Demonstrated Interest (DI): Students showing their interest in and enthusiasm for a particular college through means like virtual or in-person visits, communicating with the admissions office, interviewing, reading and/or replying to emails from the college. Many schools track DI and consider it in their admissions review process. For more on demonstrated interest please read our blog on college visits and our senior checklist blog.
Early Action (EA): An application plan where students apply by a specified date, usually before the Regular Decision application deadline, and receive a decision before the Regular Decision applicants. Early Action is non-binding, meaning students are not obligated to enroll if accepted. Most EA plans allow students to apply EA or ED to other colleges, though there are exceptions (see Restricted/Single Choice Early Action below).
Early Decision (ED): Similar to Early Action, but students sign a binding agreement that, if accepted, they will enroll at the college. Parents and school-based counselors are also asked to sign a form indicating they are aware of the student’s ED application. Some colleges offer a second round of ED, called ED2. The only way a student can be released from a binding early decision (1 or 2) is if the college does not meet their financial need as indicated by that college’s net price calculator.
Extracurricular Activities (EC’s): How a student spends their time outside of the classroom.
First Generation Applicant: Colleges can have different definitions for who is a first generation college student. The most widely accepted is that neither of the student's parents graduated from a 4-year university.
Guaranteed Transfer: Sometimes applicants are denied admission as a first-year student but are offered the option to transfer into the college at a later date if certain conditions like minimum GPA and required courses are met.
High School Profile: A document supplied by high schools to colleges that summarizes the school’s grading system, course offerings, standardized test score ranges, and other important data. High schools often also provide information about school and community demographics and college acceptances for recent graduating classes. Students should ask their school counselor for a copy of their High School Profile if it is not posted on the website.
Holistic Review: An admissions approach where colleges consider a wide range of factors about a student, not just grades, rigor and test scores. This can include essays, recommendations, and details of a student's background, activities, and contributions to their communities.
IB Diploma: A junior and senior year, 2-year high school program that consists of a series of higher level (HL) and standard level (SL) courses, a Theory of Knowledge class, a Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) component, and an Extended Essay. The International Baccalaureate Program is considered very rigorous and emphasizes critical thinking and global awareness.
Institutional Priority: Sometimes referred to as “hooks”. Please read our blog to understand more about Institutional Priorities.
International Applicant: For application purposes, a student who is not a permanent resident or citizen of the United States, regardless of where they attend high school, is considered an international applicant.
Legacy: Colleges define this differently, ranging from having a parent who attended the college to siblings, grandparents and other relatives. Being a legacy applicant can be an institutional priority at some institutions, while others and some states have banned it.
Letter of Continued Interest: A letter sent by an applicant to a college expressing ongoing interest in attending after being deferred or waitlisted, often including recent achievements or further reasons for wanting to attend that college. For more on what to include in this letter please read our blog.
Letter of Intent: Not to be confused with a letter of continued interest. A letter of intent is a binding agreement signed by a recruited athlete committing to a Division I or II college program.
Letter of Recommendation: Sometimes referred to as an LOR or “rec”, these are letters supplied to colleges by teachers, school-based counselors and other people who know the student well and who can provide an assessment of the student’s performance, notable characteristics and impact in the settings in which they have interacted with the student.
Personal Statement: The student-written essay that forms an integral part of the college application. It's a chance for students to convey personal stories, reflections, and aspirations, helping admissions officers understand who they are beyond their grades and test scores. When used in conjunction with applications to international universities in Europe, the personal statement takes on a different purpose and should be used by students to explain their interest in applying for a certain course of study. For differences between the Common App and UCAS personal statement please read our blog.
Priority Deadline: Applications submitted before this date will receive preference, but students who submit their application afterward may still be considered.
Regular Decision (RD): A non-binding application plan with due dates ranging from October until several months later. Many colleges only offer Regular Decision, while others offer early application options and receive the majority of their applications during those early rounds.
Restrictive Early Action (REA): This is an application option that allows students to apply early without the obligation to attend if accepted. This is currently utilized by only two super selective institutions Notre Dame and Georgetown. Under REA, applicants are restricted from applying Early Decision to another institution until they receive a decision from their REA school. Typically they may apply early action to any other institution.
Rigor: This is often used in the context of how challenging or advanced the courses taken by a high school student have been. For more on course rigor please read our blog and another.
Rolling Admission: A flexible college application process where applications are evaluated as they arrive, rather than after a set deadline. This means students can apply anytime within a window that usually starts in early fall and continues through spring, or until all spots in the incoming class are filled. Colleges with rolling admissions typically send out decisions shortly after each application is reviewed, allowing applicants to hear back sooner than they might with regular admission cycles.
Scattergram: A graphic depiction of past admissions decisions from your high school. These are often not the best way to determine your chance of acceptance. To understand more about this please read our blog.
Self-Reported Scores: This is when a student self-reports their test scores on the Common Application rather than sending their scores directly from the College Board or ACT.
Single Choice Early Action (SCEA): This is an application option that allows students to apply early to one college without the obligation to attend if accepted. This is currently utilized by just a handful of super selective institutions including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and Stanford. However, under SCEA, applicants are restricted from applying early to any other private school, whether Early Decision or Early Action, until they receive a decision from their SCEA school. Typically they may apply early action to public institutions, service academies and international universities as long as they are non binding applications. After hearing back from their SCEA schools, they are free to apply to other schools if they wish.
SRAR: Self reported academic record. Some colleges require students to fill this out and they use it instead of a student’s transcript.
Stealth Application: Applications that are submitted to colleges with no discernible engagement from the student beforehand.
Supplemental essay: A type of essay that some colleges require in addition to the main personal statement. Colleges can have more than one supplemental essay or none at all.
Test Blind: A college admissions policy where standardized test scores (like the SAT or ACT) are not considered at all, even if a student submits them. These colleges may still look at your AP scores.
Test Flexible: Some colleges allow students to submit scores from tests like the AP or IB program scores, instead of ACT or SAT scores, to satisfy their testing requirement.
Test Optional: A policy adopted by some colleges where submitting SAT or ACT scores is not mandatory. Students can choose whether or not to include their standardized test scores as part of their application. For more on test optional please read this blog.
Transcript: A record from a student's school listing all courses taken, grades received, and sometimes it includes test scores, honors and awards.
Transfer admission: The process for students who have started their college education at one institution and wish to continue it at another. This process varies by college but generally involves submitting all college transcripts, a new application, essays, and sometimes recommendations.
Unweighted Grade Point Average (UGPA): A measure of a student's average grades that does not consider the difficulty of the courses taken. It represents a straightforward average of grade points earned across classes, and may be computed for core academic classes, or for all classes taken by the student including electives and requirements like Physical Education.
Waitlist: A status used by colleges to indicate that they have not yet made a final admission decision for certain applicants. Students on the waitlist may be offered admission if spots become available after the initial round of acceptances.
Weighted Grade Point Average (WGPA): A GPA calculation that gives additional points for courses that are more challenging, like Honors or Advanced Placement (AP) classes.
Yield: The percentage of admitted students who decide to enroll in a particular college. Colleges track their yield to assess the effectiveness of their admissions process and gauge how appealing they are to potential students
Financial Aid*:
Award Letter: Sent to admitted students who applied for need-based financial aid, this document indicates the types and amounts of aid that will be offered to the student for the upcoming academic year. See Financial Aid Package for more detail.
CSS Profile: An online financial aid application used by over 300 colleges (typically the most selective ones) and scholarship programs to award non-federal institutional aid.
Demonstrated Need: The cost of attendance at an institution minus the ability for a student/family to pay according to whatever financial aid forms that colleges uses, so either FAFSA alone or FAFSA and CSS profile. What a family thinks they need is often very different from what those forms might indicate.
EFC (Expected Family Contribution): The amount an applicant is expected to pay for their college expenses each year calculated based on information provided to the colleges that use the CSS Profile. This amount is not known to an applicant until they receive their financial aid offer from each institution.
FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid): A form used by U.S. students to apply for federal financial aid for college. Some colleges also use the FAFSA to determine eligibility for their own aid programs.
Financial Aid: Funding that is available to students to help pay for college. This can include grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study programs. Some forms of financial aid need to be repaid, while others do not.
Financial Aid Award/Package: An offer from a college that details the various types of financial aid a student is eligible to receive from the institution and outside sources in the next academic year. This package could include grants that do not need to be repaid, loans, scholarships, and work-study opportunities, tailored to the financial needs and academic profile of the student.
Gapping/Unmet Need: The difference between the student’s financial need as determined by the college and the amount of the student’s financial aid award.
Grant: A type of financial aid that does not have to be repaid. Grants are usually based on financial need, academic achievement, or specific personal criteria.
Meets Full Need: A college that meets 100% of a student’s demonstrated financial need, as determined by that college. There are only approximately a couple of dozen of these.
Merit-based: Financial aid that is given based on a student's skills, talents, or academic achievements, rather than financial need. Merit aid is a tuition discount. Merit aid awards can be for one year or all four.
Need-based: Financial aid that is awarded based on the financial need of the student and their family, as assessed by the cost of attendance, and each institution's financial aid forms.
Need-blind/Need-aware admission: "Need-blind" policies mean a college does not consider an applicant's financial situation when making admission decisions. "Need-aware" policies allow colleges to consider financial need when deciding on admissions.
Net Price Calculator: A tool offered on most colleges websites that allows current and prospective students and families to estimate the net price of attending that particular college. Typically the more detailed the net price calculator the more accurate it is.
Scholarships: Money awarded to students based on various criteria such as academic performance, special talents, or other qualifications. Scholarships do not require repayment.
SAI (Student Aid Index): A figure used to determine how much money a student or their family is expected to contribute towards college expenses, based on financial information provided in the FAFSA.
Student loan: Money borrowed to help pay for educational expenses that must be repaid, usually with interest. Loans can come from the government or private lenders and terms vary widely.
Work-study: A program that provides part-time jobs for students with financial need while they are enrolled in college to help pay for their expenses. These jobs can be related to the student’s field of study and are usually on-campus but can be off-campus with approved employers.
Standardized Testing & Exam Terms*:
ACT: A standardized test used for college admissions in the United States. It includes sections on English, mathematics, reading, science, and an optional essay. Scores range from 1 to 36 for each section and averaged to produce a composite score, with 36 being the highest possible section and composite score. There is also an optional Writing section which very few colleges require.
PSAT/NMSQT: The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT) serves as both practice for the SAT and a qualifier for National Merit Scholarships. Typically students will take one in the fall of their junior year in preparation for taking the SAT but some high schools have students take one every year of high school. Only junior year scores are NMSQTs.
SAT: Another major standardized test used for college admissions, consisting of a Math section and an Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section. It is scored on a scale of 400 to 1600.
Score Choice: A feature offered by the College Board allows students to choose which SAT scores to send to colleges, providing the option to send only the best scores from multiple test dates.
Superscoring: When a college uses the highest score in each section of the exam across multiple test settings to create the highest possible composite score.
*The term “college” is used to refer to both colleges and universities