College Terms

FAFSA

(Free Application for Federal Student Aid) - The federal application that must be completed to receive all federal aid and South Carolina Lottery. The forms may be completed online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Grant

- A monetary award given to a student to help pay college expenses. Grants are usually not repaid by the student.

Credit Hour

A credit in a school or college, usually representing one hour of class per week for one term.

Degree Plan

A degree plan is a definition of the course of study necessary to fulfill the requirement for graduation. A degree plan is "major specific" and is established through collaboration between the student and the academic advisor for the student's major. Course changes within university sanctioned degree plans may be made with the approval of the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education (ADU) or his or her designee. An initial degree plan must be filed as soon as possible after entering the major. The initial degree plan will be kept in the office of the academic advisor, ADU, or program head and will form the basis of the student's advisement.

Full Time Enrollment/Part Time Enrollment

A full-time student is enrolled in 12 or more credit hours in a semester (full-time status for a summer term is 12 credit hours). A part-time student is enrolled in less than 12 credit hours in a semester.

Major/minor

A major is a student's chosen field of study. It usually requires the successful completion of a specified number of credit hours. A minor is designated as a specific number of credit hours in a secondary field of study.

Undergraduated

An undergraduate is a student who is pursuing a one-, two-, or four-year degree.

Applications/Acceptance/Admission

An application program is a program designed to perform a specific function directly for the user or, in some cases, for another application program. Examples of applications include word processors, database programs, Web browsers, development tools, drawing, paint, image editing programs, and communication programs.

Blackboard

Blackboard is a web based set of course tools designed to deliver online learning

Schedule of Class

Colleges prepare a Class Schedule for each semester during the previous semester. With the help of academic advisors and/or faculty members, students make up their own individual class schedules for each semester they are enrolled. Courses are designated in the Class Schedule by course department, course number, time, and days the course meets

Award Letter

Documentation sent from a college or university to the student that details for how much financial support the student is eligible. The award letter is sent following the student's submission of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and application to attend college or university.

Financial A id

Financial Aid is made available from grants, scholarships, loans, South Carolina lottery tuition assistance and part-time employment from federal, state, institutional, and private sources. Awards from these programs may be combined in an "award package" to meet the cost of education. Financial need, available funds, student classification, academic performance, and sometimes the timeliness of the application determine the types and amounts of aid awarded.

Loan

Loans are borrowed money that must be repaid.

Alumni

People who have graduated from college. at Greenville Tech that means everyone with a degree, certificate and /or diploma or who has completed 24 or more curriulum credits hours and is not a current student.

Bachelors Degree

Post-secondary degree awarded to an individual after completion of undergraduate course work usually taking eight semesters and 120 credits to complete. Course work for bachelor's degrees is done at the undergraduate level and is made up of general studies and major specific classes. Bachelor's degrees are awarded in specific concentrations and are built on the Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, or Bachelor of Fine Arts foundations. Individuals pursue bachelor's degrees to further their education and career advancement. A bachelor's degree may also be referred to as a baccalaureate.

Withdrawal

Students may withdraw from courses during a semester. This action becomes valid after the add/drop period expires. A withdrawal does appear on a transcript, counts as an attempt on the class, and charges tuition fees. They do not, however, impact your GPA. GTC gives a student three attempts to successfully complete a course, so do not treat withdrawals lightly.

Associates in applied in Science

The Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree is a two-year undergraduate degree similar to the Associate of Arts (AA) and the Associate of Science (AS) degree. It is offered at most community colleges, technical colleges and vocational schools, as well as a few bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities. Unlike AA and AS degrees, which are designed primarily as transfer degrees, the AAS degree is designed for students who intend to enter the workforce immediately following graduation from their program. Consequently, most AAS degree programs require students to choose an area of emphasis or specialty early on in the program so they are adequately prepared for entry-level career positions within a specific field upon graduation. While some students who earn an AAS degree may transfer to a four-year college or university to pursue a bachelor's degree, it's important to note that some AAS courses are not granted transfer equivalency credit, nor will they fulfill the general education requirements of a bachelor's degree program. If a four-year college degree is in your future, it is more advantageous to earn an AA or AS degree from a regionally accredited community college, or a community college that has established articulation agreements with four-year institutions.

Bookstore

The definition of a bookstore is a retail place where books are sold. Read more at

Degree Requirments

The disciplines or courses listed below will fulfill degree requirements in the various categories. Please refer to your chosen program for specific electives. Liberal Art Electives. General Electives.

Add/Drop

The period of time at the beginning of each term when schedules can be adjusted without penalty. The length of the add/drop period varies by class and is determined by the number of instructional weeks.

ACT and SAT

These letters are acronyms for the american college Test and the Scholastics Aptitude test.Both tests are designed to measure a students level of knowledge in basic areas such as math,science,English,social studies. Colleges may require the results of either the ACT or SAT before granting admission.

Prerequisite Course

This is a condition or requirement that must be met before enrolling in a course. To satisfy a prerequisite, you must receive a "C" or better in the course to advance to the next class.

Enroll/Register

This is the procedure by which students choose classes each semester. It also includes the assessment and collection of fees.

Tuition

Tuition is the amount paid for each credit hour of enrollment. Tuition does not include the cost of books, fees, or room and board. Tuition charges vary from college to college and are dependent on such factors as resident or out-of-state status, level of classes enrolled in (lower, upper or graduate division), and whether the institution is publicly or privately financed

Assocate Degree

Two-year college degree from a community college, university, college, or career school. Associate's degrees are normally earned with about sixty college credits, including general education courses, electives, and courses required toward a specific college major. Most associate's degrees are awarded in business, health, engineering, information technology or early childhood education, and may include an Associate of the Arts degree, Associate of Science degree, or an Associate of Applied Science degree. The recipient of an associate's degree can then transfer the credits toward a four year, bachelor's degree program.