ACT

This standardized college admission test, an alternative to the SAT, features four main sections—English, math, reading, and science—and an optional essay section.

 

Admission Tests

Also known as college entrance exams, these tests measure students’ skills and help colleges determine if students are ready for college-level work. The ACT and the College Board’s SAT are two standardized admission tests in the United States. The word “standardized" means that the test measures the same thing in the same way for everyone who takes it.

 

Advanced Placement:

A program coordinated by the College Board whereby high schools offer college-level courses with specific curricula in many academic fields. Participating students can take an AP exam at the end of the course to demonstrate knowledge and earn credit.

 

AICE Program

The AICE  program is an international pre-university preparation program, part of the Cambridge Assessment Group, a not-for-profit organization and a department of the University of Cambridge in England. Schools in Florida and over 200 across the United States offer The Cambridge Program. All 12 public colleges and universities in the Florida State University System, 100% of Ivy League institutions, and over 640 universities across the United States accept AICE credits by exam, with varying policies. 

 

Articulation Agreement

An agreement between two-year and four-year colleges that makes it easier to transfer credits between them. It outlines which courses are eligible for degree credit and the minimum grades required to receive credit.

 

Award Letter

It is an official document from a college, university, or financial aid office that outlines the types and amounts of financial aid you are eligible to receive. It typically arrives after you’ve been accepted to a school and have completed the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) or CSS Profile, if required.

What’s Included in an Award Letter:

• Grants ( e.g. Pell Grant, state grants) - free money that doesn’t need to be repaid.

• Scholarship - merit or need-based aid that also doesn’t require repayment.

• Federal student loans - money you borrow and must repay later, often with low interest.

• Work study - eligibility for part-time, on-campus employment to earn money.

• Cost of attendance (COA) - an estimate of total costs ( Tuition, room/board, books, etc.)

• Expect Family Contribution (EFC) - how much your family is expected to pay.

• Net cost - what you’ll owe after financial aid is applied.

 

Candidates Reply Date Agreement (CRDA)

An agreement that many colleges follow allows applicants until May 1 to accept or decline admission offers. This agreement allows applicants to receive responses from most colleges to which they have applied before making a decision.

 

Class Rank

A measurement of how your academic achievement compares with other students in your grade. This number is usually determined by using a weighted GPA that considers both your grades and the difficulty of the courses you’ve taken.

 

Coalition Application

A Standard application form was accepted by Coalition for Access, Affordability, and Success members. You can use this application to apply to any of the more than 150+ colleges and universities that are members of the Coalition. For more information, visit: coalitionforcollegeaccess.org

 

CLT

The Classic Learning Test (CLT) offers online and paper assessments for grades 3-12 that evaluate reading, grammar, and mathematics, providing a comprehensive measure of achievement and aptitude. Unlike other tests that change according to educational or cultural trends, CLT exams emphasize foundational critical thinking skills and are accessible to students from various academic backgrounds.

 

College Application Essay

An essay that a college requires students to write and submit as part of their applications. Some colleges require applicants to answer specific questions, while others simply ask them to write a personal statement. Colleges may refer to this as a “ personal Statement.”

 

College Credit

What you get when you complete a college-level course. You need a certain number of credits to graduate with a degree. College may also grant credit for exam scores, such as those offered by the College Board’s AP Program and CLEP.

 

Common Application

A standard application form is accepted by all colleges that are members of the Common Application Association. You can fill out this application once and submit it to any one or several of the nearly 1,000 colleges that accept it. For more information, 

Visit: www.commonapp.org

 

Core Curriculum

A group of specially designed courses in the humanities, arts, social sciences, and sciences is designed to give students a strong foundation in general education.

 

Cost of Attendance

Financial aid terminology for total educational costs: tuition, fees, books, supplies, room and board, incidentals, and travel home.

 

CSS Profile

Abbreviation for College Scholarship Service PROFILE. A need assessment form administered by the College Board that some schools use to determine eligibility for institutionally based financial aid.

 

Deferral 

A decision by a college to delay a final response to an early action or early decision application until the regular decision cycle. Your application is strong, but the school wants to see how it compares to the rest of the applicant pool, or needs more information ( like new grades). You are not rejected - you are still being considered.

 

Deferred Admission

A decision on the part of admitted students to wait until the following academic year to enroll.
 

Demonstrated Interest

Refers to the ways a student shows a college that they are genuinely interested in attending. Some colleges track this interest as a factor in their admissions decisions, especially those seeking to improve their enrollment rates.

Common Ways to show it:

• Campus Visits - Taking an official tour or attending an info session.

• Attending College Fairs or School Visits - Talking to reps when they visit your high school or community.

• Emailing Admissions Officers - Asking thoughtful questions (not ones easily answered on the website).

• Submitting the Application Early - Applying early action or decision can signal a strong interest.

• Interviews - If offered, doing one shows engagement.

• Supplemental Essays - If a college asks, ”Why us?” writing a specific, well-researched answer is crucial.

• Following on Social Media - Some colleges may notice this, too.

 

Demonstrated Need

Financial aid terminology for the difference between the total cost of attendance and the expected family contribution to the student’s education.

 

Divisions I, II, and III

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) groups colleges for athletic competition.

 

Dual Enrollment

Allow students to be enrolled in two separate, academically related institutions. This generally refers to high school students taking college or university courses.

 

Early Action (EA)

An option to submit your applications before the regular deadlines. When you apply early action, you get college admission decisions earlier than usual. Early action plans aren’t binding, meaning you don’t have to enroll in a college if accepted for early action. 

 

Early Decision (ED)

Early decision is an option to apply to your first-choice college before the regular deadline. When you apply early decision, you get an admission decision earlier than usual. Early decision plans are binding. You agree to enroll in the college immediately if admitted and offered a financial aid package that meets your needs. Some colleges have an early decision option called ED II, which has a later application deadline than their regular ED plan.

 

Expected Family Contribution (EFC)

Financial aid is the amount of money a family is expected to contribute to a student’s education, based on a methodology that considers income, assets, and other expenses.

 

FAFSA

Abbreviation for Free Application for Federal Student AID. Used to determine eligibility for federal financial aid to help pay for college or career school. It’s used to determine eligibility for federal grants, work-study programs, and loans.

 

Financial Aid

Money is given or loaned to you to help pay for college. Federal and state governments, colleges, and private organizations can receive financial aid.

 

Financial Aid Package

Total amount and types of aid a student receives from federal and nonfederal sources.

 

Grade Point Average (GPA)

A numerical indicator that reflects overall academic performance. It’s computed by assigning a point value to each grade you earn. See also Weighted Grade Point Average.

 

IB

Abbreviation for International Baccalaureate. A special high school diploma is awarded to students who complete a rigorous academic curriculum of special courses and perform satisfactorily on a battery of nationally normed tests corresponding to that curriculum.

 

Legacy Applicant

A college applicant with a relative (usually a parent or grandparent) who graduated from that college. Some colleges give preference to applicants who are legacy students (also called “legacies”).

 

Liberal Arts

An academic program that encompasses the sciences, social sciences, languages, arts, mathematics, and other disciplines is distinguished from professional programs that focus on specific careers, such as engineering, business, and nursing.

 

Need-Blind Admission

A policy of making admission decisions without considering the financial circumstances of applicants: Colleges that use this policy may not offer enough financial aid to meet a student’s total need.

 

Open Admission

A policy of accepting any high school graduate, no matter their grades, until all spaces in the incoming class are filled. Almost all two-year community colleges have an open-admission policy, but may have specific admission requirements for certain programs.

 

PLUS Loans

Abbreviation for Parent Loan to Undergraduate Students. A loan taken out by a parent that is not subsidized by the federal government.

 

Regular Decision

An Application process that involves applying by a late fall or early winter deadline in exchange for an admissions decision the following spring.

 

Rolling Admission

An admission policy that considers each application as soon as all required information (such as high school records and test scores) has been received, rather than setting an application deadline and reviewing applications in batches. Colleges that use a rolling admission policy typically notify applicants of admission decisions promptly.

 

Priority Date or Deadline

The college official who registers students. The registrar may also keep permanent records and maintain your student file.

 

SAT

The College Board’s standardized college admission test. It features three main sections: math, reading, and writing, including an optional written essay.

For more information, visit: sat.org

 

Sophomore Standing

The status of a second-year student. A college may grant sophomore standing to an incoming freshman if the student has earned college credits through courses, exams, or other programs.

 

Single-Choice Early Action

A  type of early action plan that restricts the student’s ability to apply early action or early decision to other schools.

 

Subsidized Loan

A loan is one for which the US government pays the interest while the student is enrolled in school.

 

Transcript

The official record of your coursework at a school or college. Your high school transcript is usually required for college admission and some financial aid packages.

 

Transfer Student

A student who enrolls in a college after having attended another college.

 

Undergraduate

A college student working toward an associate's or a bachelor’s degree.

 

Waitlist

The list of applicants may be admitted to a college if space becomes available. Colleges wait to hear if all the students they accept decide to attend. If students don’t enroll and there are empty spots, a college may fill them with students on the waitlist.

 

Weighted Grade Point Average (GPA)

A grade point average is calculated using a system that assigns a higher point value to grades in more challenging classes. For example, some high schools assign the value of 5.0 (instead of the standard 4.0) for an A earned in an AP class.

 

Work - Study

A component of need-based financial aid in which the student works part-time in a campus or other job supported by government or institutional funding.