GLOSSARY

ACT: The ACT is a standardized test taken by high school students and used by colleges to ascertain their preparedness for higher education. Some students take the SAT instead.

Admission Requirements: Individual schools have unique requirements for students who want to attend the institution. These can include minimum GPAs, standardized test scores, and extracurricular experience.

Admission Counselor: Performs duties to identify and recruit prospective students. The incumbent plans and participates in the implementation and recruitment of prospective students using marketing strategies and public relations skills, and counsels prospective students and parents regarding the admission process.

Affinity Groups: Groups formed around a shared identity or common goal to build community among members of non-dominant groups and to foster inclusion and awareness in the broader university.

Associate’s Degree: An associate degree is an introductory undergraduate degree. Associate degree programs require two years of full-time study and are commonly offered by community colleges and vocational schools.

Advanced Placement: AP courses offer students the opportunity to earn college credit by taking rigorous courses in high school. Students who demonstrate mastery of the material on a national standardized end-of-course exam – a score of 3 or higher out of 5 – may be eligible for college credit for the course.

Bachelor’s Degree: A bachelor’s degree is an undergraduate academic degree that usually requires four years of full-time study to complete. It can lead to myriad entry-level positions after graduation.

Coalition Application: Created to make it easier for students from underrepresented groups to apply for college.

Composite Score: The SAT is scored on a 1600-point scale. This composite score is often referred to as your “SAT score” and is the sum of 2 section scores: Math and Evidence-Based Reading & Writing. Each of your section scores will fall between 200 and 800 points.

College Major: A term used in undergraduate studies, a major refers to a student’s chosen area of study, such as accounting or history.

College Minor: In addition to declaring a major in undergraduate studies, many learners declare a minor. These require fewer credits than majors but allow for directed study.

Commuter Student: A student, full-time or part-time, who does not live on campus-owned property. Typically a commuter refers to a student living at home or with his or her parents, but can also mean any student who lives off campus.

CSS: Unlike the FAFSA form, the CSS Profile is not free. The CSS Profile is managed by College Board, and cost $25 for the first school, and $16 for each additional school. Ask your counselor if you are eligible for a fee waiver for the CSS Profile.

Dual Enrollment: The simultaneous enrollment of a student at both high school and college in which the student receives credit on both transcripts.

Demonstrated Interest: How colleges assess how interested a student is in attending.

Early Decision: ED is a binding agreement that states if a student receives admittance to a particular college, they are obligated to attend.

Early Action: EA is a nonbinding process that allows learners to gain early admission to a school, well before those applying through the regular admissions process.

Final Transcript: A transcript received directly from the issuing institution (whether on paper and still in the envelope or a certified electronic copy) that is properly signed/ authenticated. This is the final senior year official transcript.

Financial Aid: Financial aid, whether offered by a government entity, college or university, or private organization, refers to the money students receive to help offset the cost of college.

Grants: These are sources of financial aid that generally do not have to be repaid and can come from the government, your college, and private or nonprofit organization.

Greek Life: Comprising fraternities and sororities, Greek life is a system of membership organizations that provide students with opportunities to take part in social and philanthropic activities.

International Baccalaureate: A rigorous, two-year program that results in personal and academic development and, upon successful completion, a globally recognized diploma.

Letters of Recommendation: Many colleges require letters of recommendation from previous teachers, employers, or others who can speak to a learner’s preparedness for higher education.

LOSFA: Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance is a Program of the Louisiana Board of Regents, administering the state’s scholarship and grant programs, and the state’s Internal Revenue Code Section 529 college savings program.

Master’s Degree: After completing a bachelor’s degree program, a student may decide to pursue a master’s degree for advanced study in their field. Master’s degree programs usually take 1-3 years to complete.

Mid-Year Transcript: A form submitted by your school counselor indicating your academic progress for the first half of your senior year.

NCAA Clearinghouse: An organization that determines whether prospective college athletes are eligible to play sports at NCAA Division I or Division II institutions.

Official Transcript: Is a complete record of your academic achievements in high school. It starts with your first year of high school and is updated each term until you graduate. These are sent to colleges directly from high schools.

Private Loans: Education funding from banks, credit unions and online lenders instead of the federal government. Private loans are best used to fill funding gaps after maxing out federal loans.

Private University: A college or university that often operates as an educational nonprofit organization. It does not receive its primary funding from a state government. These schools are smaller than public schools with smaller class sizes.

Public University: A college or university primarily funded by a state government. Generally they are larger than private schools and have larger class sizes. You will likely have a larger selection of majors than you would at a private school.

Regional University: Offers a full range of undergraduate programs and provide graduate education at the master’s level. However, they differ by offering few, if any, doctoral programs.

Residence Halls: A place where students live at a college or university.

Regular Decision: The majority of students apply to colleges through the regular decision process. Look for regular decision deadlines when evaluating potential schools. Most regular decision deadlines are in January.

SAT: Functioning similarly to the ACT, the SAT is a standardized test used by many colleges to evaluate whether a student is prepared for postsecondary learning.

Scholarships: A scholarship is financial support awarded to a student, based on academic achievement or other criteria that may include financial need. Scholarships reduce the cost of education and do not require repayment. Universities, foundations, professional associations, and employers commonly offer scholarships to college students.

Student Loans: Money you borrow from the federal government or a private lender to help pay for college costs, like tuition, supplies, books and living expenses. Federal student loans typically have lower interest rates and more flexible repayment options than private loans. Borrowers should exhaust student loans from the federal government before applying with private lenders.

Non-Secular University: An institution not affiliated with or restricted to a particular religious group.

Subsidized Student Loans: A federal student loan that doesn’t accrue interest while you’re in college or during other periods of authorized non-repayment, such as a grace period. Subsidized loans don’t require credit history or a cosigner. They are a part of financial aid and only undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need are eligible. Use these loans first if you can.

Superscore: The average of your best scores from each subject from multiple test attempts. Your superscore is never lower than a single composite score.

Student Life: Student Life refers to the program that supports campus activities, student clubs and organizations, student government, and other special events like the annual graduation and scholarship ceremonies.

Support Services: Also called student services, lends support to learners to help them develop and achieve success.

TOPS: Is state merit-based scholarships available for Louisiana residents/students who have attended any of the Louisiana Public Colleges and Universities, schools of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, approved Proprietary and Cosmetology Schools, or institutions of the Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

Urban University: Urban campuses are located in cities. Some urban campuses are spread throughout a city while others are self-contained within a city. Many urban colleges offer off-campus learning experiences.

Unsubsidized Loans: A federal student loan that starts to accrue interest as soon as it is disbursed. Undergraduate, graduate and professional students are eligible for unsubsidized loans, which don’t require credit history or a co-signer. Because interest costs on unsubsidized loans are higher, eligible students should take out subsidized loans first.

Unweighted GPA: The most common way to measure academic performance in high school. They are measured on a scale of 0 to 4.0 and do not take the difficulty of your courses into account.

Weighted GPA: Is calculated after adding extra points for honors or Advanced Placement courses. This means that an A in these courses receives 5 points rather than 4 and a B receives 4 rather than 3, so the overall GPA can exceed 4.0.