College Terminology 101

grant

A type of financial aid that does not have to be paid back after the student leaves school. They are available through the federal government, state agencies, and educational institutions.

Why is accreditation important?

Accreditation agencies establish quality standards, assess institutions and provide certification that individual schools have met quality standards.

internship

Pre-professional work experience that can provide a student, recent graduate, or career changer with the opportunity to gain experience in a particular career field. May be paid or unpaid.

office hours

Professors are usually required to hold office hours on a regular basis throughout the semester, which is when students are able to drop in or make an appointment to meet with them.

Honors college/program

A special program within a large university. Must be admitted. Offers preferred registration and other academic advantages.

Bright Futures Scholarship

A Florida Scholarship Program funded by the lottery-designed to reward Florida high school graduates for high academic achievement.

bachelor's degree

A college degree which can often be earned by following a four-year instructional program (in a 4-year college).

prerequisite

A course that must be completed (often with a certain minimum grade) or a skill that must be demonstrated before a student can enroll in a more advanced course or program.

Master's Degree

A degree beyond your bachelor's degree, usually additional 36-46 credits

Doctorate Degree

A doctorate degree is the highest level of academic degree. Everyone is familiar with the medical doctor, who holds an M.D. (Medical Doctorate). But you can earn a doctorate inalmost any subject area. For example, most states require licensed psychologists to hold a doctorate degree in psychology.

weighted GPA

A grade point average that includes the additional grade points given to a student for completing advanced, honors, dual enrollment, AP, or IB courses. The scale ranges from a 0.0-5.0.

student loan

A loan designed to help students pay for tuition, books, and living expenses. It may differ from other types of loans in that the interest rate may be substantially lower and the repayment schedule may be deferred while the student is still in school.

advisor

A member of the college faculty or staff who assists students with planning quarter or semester schedules as well as their overall programs of study.

undergraduate

A student who has not yet earned a bachelor's degree; also refers to the courses and instructional programs such a student enrolls in.

unweighted GPA

Average grades without Honors and AP classes factored in. 0.0 - 4.0 is scale.

What is Cappex?

Cappex is a site for comparing schools, calculating admissions chances, calculating financial aid, and just figuring out if a school is a good match for you in general. There are also student reviews, so in addition to comparing hard data you will also be able to compare how people feel about the school. There's even a feature that helps you to plan campus visits!

accreditation

Certification that a school or an instructional program meets standards set by an outside reviewing organization.

CLEP

College Level Examination Program- standardized tests created by College Board for earning college credit without taking the courses

FAFSA

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): Submitting a FAFSA is a requirement for all students seeking federal financial aid.

What is Fastweb?

Fastweb is a site that matches the information you enter in your profile to scholarship, college, job and internship opportunities. You may use the information that Fastweb provides to apply for scholarships, discover prospective colleges, explore internship possibilities or learn about part-time jobs in your area.

credit hour

One unit of academic credit, representing attendance at one scheduled period of instruction per week throughout a term. Most college classes are three credit hours, meaning their total meeting time for a week is three hours. To calculate tuition, multiply the number of credit hours for each class (three) by the cost of tuition per credit hour.

major

The program of study that you are following in a college to complete a specific degree

Associate's Degree

Two-year (60 credit) degree. May be transferred to a four year university. Awarded by a community, junior, or business college.

National Accreditation vs. Regional Accreditation

While nationally accredited institutions will usually accept credit from regionally or nationally accredited institutions, regionally accredited schools often do not accept credit from nationally accredited institutions. State colleges and universities are all regionally accredited.