Academic Advisor: A faculty member who helps students plan their schedule and decide what classes to take to meet the requirements for their major.
Academic Year/Calendar: A system by which a college divides its year into periods of time for instruction and awarding credit. School years are usually divided into quarters, semesters or trimesters and run from August to May or September to June.
Accelerated Study: A program that allows students to graduate in less time than is usually required. For example, students take summer courses or extra classes during the academic year.
Accreditation: Recognition of a college or university by a recognized regional or national body that the institution meets specific requirements in academic programs, facilities, etc. Usually, colleges must be accredited for their students to receive financial aid.
Achievement Tests: Standardized tests required by some colleges to measure student achievement in specific areas of study such as English, Math, or Science. SAT II tests are examples of such tests.
ACT Assessment Test or “ACT test”: A group of tests administered by ACT and required or recommended by many colleges as part of the admission process. The tests measure educational development in English, math, reading, and science reasoning and are given at specified test centers throughout the year.
Active Component: That portion of the U.S. Armed Forces on full-time duty in the active military service of the United States.
Active Duty for Training: A tour of duty to provide training for members of the Reserve Components.
Admission Requirements: Many colleges and universities outline specific requirements such as high school grade point average, standardized test scores, high school courses, etc. that students must meet to be considered for admission.
Advanced Placement: A system by which college freshmen may bypass entry-level courses by proving that they have already taken the equivalent in high school. College credit may be awarded if a student earns a certain score on a specially designed College Board exam at the conclusion of an AP course.
Advanced or Early Registration: A period of time set by most colleges during which students can register early for classes.
Alumni: People who have graduated from a specific college or university.
Alternative Assessment: A method that personalizes the admissions process and offers students an opportunity to be viewed more individually. Less emphasis is placed on standardized test scores and more on the interview, portfolio, recommendations, and essays.
Annual Training: The minimum required yearly training period for members of the Reserve Components, normally two weeks in duration.
Application Fee: A charge to process a student’s application. In some cases, this fee is waived if a student shows financial need.
Apprenticeship: A training program like carpentry or welding that results in certified skills for a trade. Apprentices are usually paid for their training.
Assistant Instructor (AI): A graduate student who helps a professor. An AI may teach introductory classes, grade papers, or lead discussion sessions; may also be called a Teaching Assistant or TA.
Associate’s Degree: The degree granted by colleges after students complete a two-year, full-time program of required courses, or its part-time equivalent. These degrees are offered by many types of colleges, including junior colleges, technical colleges and colleges and universities that offer bachelor’s degrees.
ASVAB: Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery; an aptitude test given to members of the Armed Forces or those interested in joining.
Audit: To attend a class without receiving credit.
Award Package: A method used by colleges and universities to deliver their news about student eligibility for financial aid or grants. The most common packages include Pell Grants, Stafford Loans, and Work Study.
Baccalaureate or Bachelor’s Degree: The degree granted by a college after students have satisfactorily completed a four or five-year, full-time program of required courses, or its part-time equivalent.
Base: See Post.
Battalion: A military unit typically consisting of a headquarters and three or more companies, batteries, or other subunits of similar size.
Bilingual/ESL Program: A program offering instruction to foreign-speaking students in their native language and/or English.
Billeting: Coordination of housing for military personnel and their dependents.
Board of Trustees: The policy-making and governing body of a college.
Brigade: A military unit consisting of two or more combat battalions or regiments and associated support units. It is smaller than a division and is commanded by a colonel.
Bulletin: A smaller version of a college catalog, which describes aspects of a particular college or university.
Bursar’s Office: The university office that is responsible for the billing and collection of university charges.
Cadet: A person who is training to become an officer in the Armed Forces, especially a student at a military academy or in ROTC.
Campus: The grounds, class buildings, and residence halls of a college or university.
Candidates Reply Date: A policy among subscribing institutions that permits students to wait until May 1 to choose, without penalty, among offers of admission/financial aid.
Career Cluster: A group of jobs or career areas that are similar or require some of the same skills.
Career Plan: A set of steps to be followed over a period of time to get a desired job.
Certificate: A credential given to students for completing a specified list of courses. Usually 60 or fewer credits. Its purpose is to certify that a student has developed expertise in a certain area. It may stand-alone or may be part of a degree program.
Chair: The highest administrator of an academic department, usually a professor.
Chancellor: Chief administrator or executive officer of a college or university campus.
Class Rank: A student’s standing based on his or her GPA as compared with that of the other members of the class.
College: An institution of higher learning offering studies that lead to an academic degree. A college can be part of a larger university system.
College Catalog: A book published by the college describing requirements for admission and graduation, degrees offered, course descriptions, services, policies, procedures, faculty, costs, and student rights and responsibilities.
College Preparatory Subjects: Courses taken in high school that are viewed by colleges and universities as a strong preparation for college work. The specific courses are usually in the five major areas of English, history, world languages, mathematics, and science. The courses may be regular, honors-level, or AP offerings, and the latter two categories are often weighted when calculated in the GPA.
College Scholarship Service: An organization that processes a supplemental financial aid application called the Profile, which allows students to apply for non-federal aid.
College Transfer Courses: Courses intended for transfer of college credit to bachelor’s degree programs elsewhere.
Commencement: Graduation ceremony to recognize students who have completed degree requirements.
Commissary: A store on a military base that sells groceries and household goods and supplies.
Commissioned Officer: A person who holds a commission in the Armed Forces granted by authority of the President of the United Sates with the advice and consent of the Senate.
Community College/Junior College: Colleges that offer programs (usually two years or less for full-time students) that prepare students for immediate employment or for transfer to an institution offering bachelor’s degrees.
Commuter Student: A student who lives at home or somewhere off-campus.
Company: A unit of soldiers, usually consisting of two or more platoons.
Competitive Admission Policy: An admission policy in which a college admits only students who meet certain requirements.
Conditional Admission: An admission policy colleges use to admit students who have not met all the admission requirements. To remain, these students must fulfill specified requirements before or during their enrollment.
Consortium: Arrangement between schools that enables students who attend one school to go to class and use resources at another school.
Cooperative Education (Co-op Education): A program in which a college student combines employment and study in a related career field. Students are paid for their work and gain practical experience in their major.
Core Classes: Classes that all students in a major program are required to take.
Co-requisite: A class taken with a related course.
Correspondence Course: A class where students receive lessons in the mail and send completed assignments to instructors. See Independent Study.
Cost of Education: The total cost of attending a post-secondary institution for one academic year. This includes tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, transportation, and miscellaneous expenses. The student’s financial aid eligibility is the difference between the cost of education and the Expected Family Contribution as computed by the Federal Government using the FAFSA.
Course Evaluation: A survey usually given at the end of a semester. Students give their opinions about the instructor and the course.
Course Load: The number of credit hours a student takes in each semester. In most schools twelve credit hours are the minimum to be considered a full-time student. The average course load per semester is 16 credit hours.
Course Number: Numbers assigned to courses to show their level of difficulty or depth/breadth of study. A 100-level course is less difficult or broader in scope than a 200-level course.
Credit: A system of measuring students’ progress toward a diploma or a degree. For a semester, three hours of credit for one college class is common.
Credit Hour: A unit of academic credit that often represents one hour of class time per week for a period of study (semester, quarter, etc.).
Credit by Examination: A program through which many colleges grant course credit based on results of the Advanced Placement Tests (AP), the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), Regents College Examinations (RCE) DANTES subject Standardized Tests (DSST), or other examinations developed by colleges.
Cumulative Record: A complete record of all courses and grades earned. The transcript is a copy of a student’s cumulative record. See Official Transcript.
Curriculum: All the courses offered by a college for their programs of study.
DANTES: Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support
Dean: The highest academic officer of a division, college, or school, such as Dean of Education.
Declare a Major: Officially tell a college your major or area of study.
Deferred Acceptance: The admissions decision is being moved to a later date. For example, if a student is not accepted early, he or she is reviewed during the regular process.
Deferred Admission: The practice of some colleges of allowing an accepted student to postpone enrollment for one year.
Degree: An academic title given to college graduates upon completion of a program or course of study, i.e. BA, BS, MA, or Ph.D.
Department: A specific area of study in a larger college or school. For example, French is a department in the School of Arts and Sciences.
Developmental Courses: Courses designed to build skills in basic areas such as math, reading, and writing. They do not count toward a degree.
Discipline: A field of study. See Major.
Dismissal: Students can be dismissed or expelled for consistently poor grades or breaking rules.
Distance Education: Classes taught via satellite or local television, through the Internet, by videotape or CD ROM, and by correspondence. Some may be regularly scheduled; others may be taken when most convenient for the student.
Division: A self-contained military unit in an army capable of sustained operations, including a headquarters and two or more brigades.
Doctorate: The highest university degree, also called a doctorate or doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.). Physicians receive a Medical Doctorate (M.D.), while lawyers receive a Juris Doctorate (J.D.)
Dorm: Dormitory. See Residence Hall.
Double Major: Students meet requirements for two majors. See Major.
Drill: A type of military training, particularly in marching maneuvers and weapons handling, that involves the constant repetition of a set pattern of movements or tasks; in the Reserve Components, a period of training that qualifies for one day’s pay (also know as a unit training assembly).
Drill Pay: Pay received for one or more unit training assemblies or drills.
Drop: See Withdrawal.
Early Action: An application process that permits students to make application to an institution of preference and receive a decision during the senior year, well in advance of the normal response dates in the spring. The candidate is not committed to enroll at that particular institution.
Early Admission: A process that allows students to take the necessary standardized tests and apply early in their senior year for admission to some colleges/universities.
Early Decision: An application process in which a student makes a commitment to the institution that, if admitted, he or she will enroll.
Education Services Officer: An education resource officer who helps guide soldiers in their pursuit of higher education.
Education Testing Service (ETS): An organization that produces and administers standardized tests.
Elective: A course students may select in addition to required courses to meet total graduation requirements.
Emphasis: An area of concentration within a major or minor; for example, an English major may have an emphasis in creative writing.
Enlist: To sign a contract to serve in a branch of the Armed Forces, or join the Armed Forces.
Enroll: To select courses and arrange a schedule of classes for the semester. See Registration.
Expected Family Contribution: The amount of financial support a family is expected to contribute toward a student’s college education. This amount is part of the formula used by the Federal Government to determine financial aid eligibility using the FAFSA form.
External Degree Program: A program of study in which a student can earn credit through independent study, college courses, proficiency examinations, distance learning, or personal experience. External degree colleges generally have no campus and are sometimes referred to as a “college without walls.”
Extracurricular Activities: Activities that occur outside the classroom.
FAFSA: See Free Application For Federal Student Aid.
Faculty: The teachers, professors, and instructors who teach at schools.
Federal Direct Loans: Loans made by the Federal Government directly to qualifying students and parents through participating colleges.
Federal Work-Study Program: A federally funded program that makes part-time jobs available to students with financial need.
Fee: Money charged by a college for services provided to a student. Fees are often charged for admission, registration, graduation, health services, lab materials and recreational facilities.
Fee Waiver: A written statement that says that the student does not have to pay a certain fee. Some scholarships give fee waivers for tuition.
Finals Week: Time at the end of the semester when classes do not meet and final tests or exams are given.
Financial Aid: Federal, state, college, and private programs which help students pay for college costs. Financial aid can be in the form of grants and scholarships, loans, or work-study programs.
Financial Aid Counselor: A college staff member who helps students and parents fill out financial aid forms and processes financial aid money.
Financial Aid Package: The final package of money for a student who has demonstrated need. It usually consists of loans, grants, campus jobs, etc. This package fills the gap between parent’s contribution and the total cost of college.
Financial Need: The difference between the cost of education and what the family of the applicant can reasonably be expected to contribute.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): The form used to file for financial aid for colleges.
Freshman: A student who has completed less than 30 hours of college credit.
Full-time Student: A student who carries a minimum number of credits or hours to be considered “full-time” by a college. The number of credits can vary from college to college but is usually 12 credits per quarter or semester.
General Educational Development Tests (GED Tests): Tests that measure the knowledge and skills usually learned in high school. A person who passes the GED tests earns the equivalent of a high school diploma.
General Education Requirements: A specific group of courses in general academic areas (Social Science, Fine Arts, humanities, Math, English, Life and Physical Sciences) required for an associate’s or a bachelor’s degree.
Gift Aid: Financial aid that is not repaid, such as grants and scholarships.
Grade Point Average (GPA): The average of a student’s course grades, generally based on a 4.0 scale.
Graduate Assistant (GA): A GA helps a professor with research or works for an academic department. GA’s usually receive a salary and reduced tuition.
Graduation Requirements: High school requirements are established by local school districts and must include state standards. College graduation requirements are outlined in the college catalogue.
Graduate Student: A student who has received a bachelor’s degree and is working on an advanced degree such as a master’s or doctoral degree.
Grant: Awards based on financial need that do not require repayment. Grants are available through the Federal Government, state agencies, and educational institutions.
GRFD: Guaranteed Reserve Forces Duty. An ROTC program designed to attract cadets who are interested in obtaining a commission in one of the Reserve Components, such as the Army National Guard.
Honoraries: Organizations to which students are nominated for membership because of their high grades, outstanding school service or both.
Honors Program: Any program offering opportunity for superior students to enrich their educational experience through independent, advanced, or accelerated study.
Housing: Living arrangements for students at colleges or private secondary schools. Also living arrangements for members of the Armed Forces and their families.
Humanities: The branches of learning concerned with human thought and relations, especially literature, philosophy, fine arts, and history.
Identification Card (ID): Card issued by a school to identify a student and by the military to identify members of the Armed Forces.
Inactive Duty Training (IDT): Authorized training performed by a member of the Reserve Components not on active duty for training.
Independent Study: An arrangement that allows a student to earn college credit through individual study, usually planned with and supervised by a faculty advisor, correspondence courses, or video or computer instruction.
Initial Active Duty Training (IADT): First period of active duty for individual training. Includes basic training and advanced skill training.
Instructor: A non-tenured teacher at a school. See Tenure.
Intercollegiate: Any competition or activity taking place between different colleges.
Interdisciplinary: Programs or courses using knowledge from two or more academic areas.
International Students: Students who are not citizens or permanent residents of the United States.
Internship: A job in a student’s field of study; may be required in some academic programs and may include salary and college credit.
Intramural Sports: Athletic activities between students of the same school.
Junior: A student who has completed 60 to 89 college credit hours.
Kicker: Additional money paid to servicemembers eligible for the MGIB for specific reasons, such as being enrolled in an officer-producing program.
Language House: A student residence where a foreign language is spoken. Students who want to learn German might live in a “German house.”
Liberal Arts: A school or course of study which focuses on developing students’ general knowledge and reasoning ability instead of a specific career; the result is often considered to be a well-rounded, general education in the arts and sciences.
Loan: Financial aid that must be repaid with interest after a student leaves school.
Lower Division: Refers to courses usually completed in the first two years of college.
Major: The subject of study in which a student chooses to specialize. Colleges and universities specify the number of credits needed to receive a major in a particular area, the sequence of courses, and the level of courses necessary to complete the requirements.
Master’s Degree: An advanced college degree earned after a bachelor’s degree, usually taking two years for a full-time student to complete.
Matriculate: To register or enroll in a college.
Mentor: A person who gives advice and help.
Merit Awards, Merit-based Scholarships: Monetary awards based on excellence in academics, leadership, volunteerism, athletic ability, and other areas determined by the granting organization, a college or university, an organization, or an individual. They are not based on financial need.
Minor: A student’s secondary field of study or area of concentration. It can be related to the student’s major or not and usually requires approximately 18 credits.
Mission: The primary task assigned to an individual, unit, or force.
Montgomery GI Bill (MGIB): An educational assistance program enacted by Congress to attract high quality men and women into the Armed Forces. The program is administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs; it provides education and training opportunities to eligible persons.
MOS: Military Occupational Specialty
National Merit Scholarships: A limited number of competitive scholarships offered by corporations and colleges. PSAT scores and other criteria determine winners.
Need Analysis Form: A form, filled out by the student and/or family members, used to determine the amount of financial aid the student can receive. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is a need analysis form. See FAFSA.
NMSQT: See National Merit Scholarships, Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).
Non-degree students: Students not pursuing a degree who have been admitted for special purposes or at the discretion of a director.
Non-matriculated: A student who has either not been admitted yet but is taking classes or has been academically dismissed. Under this category, a student may neither receive financial aid nor participate in an athletic program at that school.
Nonresident: Any student who lives out of state or does not meet specific state residency requirements.
Nontransferable Degree: A degree, usually an associate’s degree, that cannot be counted as credit toward more education, like a bachelor’s degree, at the same or a different college. See Transferable Degree.
Occupational Outlook: A prediction of the number of job openings there will be time for specific jobs during a certain timeframe.
Occupational Training: Education and training to prepare the student for a particular occupation.
OCS: Officer Candidate School; A military program that allows graduates to become commissioned officers.
Official Test Scores: ACT, SAT, and TOEFL results that are received directly from the testing service via magnetic tape reports or formal mail service.
Official Transcript: An official copy of a student’s academic record that is sent directly by mail or fax from the registrar of a credit-granting institution to the college Admissions Office. It includes semesters attended, courses taken, grades received, and units or credits accumulated.
On-the-job Training: Training provided for employees while they are learning a job; employee creates a product or provides a service, while being trained.
Open Admission Policy (Open Door Policy): Admission policy where anyone with a high school diploma or its equivalent can take classes.
Orientation: Programs to help new students and parents get to know a school. Orientation usually takes place before or at the beginning of the school year.
Parochial School: A private school backed by a parish, church, synagogue, or other religious institution.
Part-time Student: A student enrolled in a number of course credits or hours that are less than full-time, usually less than twelve credits per semester.
Pay and Allowances: Military pay plus allowances for food, housing, etc.
Ph.D.: See Doctorate.
Phi Beta Kappa: A national honor society recognizing academic excellence in liberal arts. See Honoraries.
PLAN: A test taken to prepare for the ACT. See American College Testing Program and Standardized Admissions Tests.
Portfolio: A file of materials created by a student that displays and explains skills, talents, experiences and knowledge gained throughout life.
Post/Base: A home station for military units.
Postsecondary Education: Education after high school at a public, independent, technical, community or junior college or university.
Pre-programs: Course sequences for undergraduate students to prepare them for graduate work in the same area. Examples include pre-law and pre-medicine.
Prerequisite: Beginning class that prepares students for a more difficult class.
Private College or University: A non-state-assisted college or university that relies on private funding, tuition, and fees.
Probation: A warning status given to students whose GPA falls below a certain minimum level; varies by school.
Program: Set of required courses for a degree in a major area of study.
Proprietary Schools: Colleges that are run as profit-making institutions. These colleges provide students with practical training in specific fields.
Prospectus: A booklet of general information about a college or program.
Provost: The college chief academic officer responsible for faculty and courses.
PSAT/NMSQT: A high school test that measures verbal and math skills and prepares students for the SAT I. It determines eligibility for the National Merit Scholarship. See SAT.
Public College or Universities: Schools supported by the state; the state pays part of the school’s operation costs.
PX/BX: Military Post Exchange/Base Exchange
Quarter: A calendar used by some colleges. The quarter school year is broken down into four distinct periods, each lasting 10 to 12 weeks.
Quiet Floor/Hours: Part of a dormitory or hours during the day where students are expected to maintain a very low noise level.
Reading Days: Days between the end of classes and beginning of final exams. Students use these days to prepare for final exams.
Recruiter: A person who takes part in finding and enlisting people in a military force.
Regiment: A permanent brigade-sized unit in the Army consisting of two or three squadrons or battalions of soldiers divided into smaller troops or companies and under the command of a colonel.
Registrar: Person in a school who manages class schedules and academic records.
Registration: Paying fees and officially enrolling in classes for an upcoming grading period.
Religious Affiliation: Private colleges associated with religious organizations.
Remedial Course: A course that teaches skills that are needed to succeed in college courses. Many students learn these skills in high school. These skills are usually in the areas of math, writing, and reading.
Requirements: A set of conditions that must be met in order to do something, such as be accepted to a college, complete a degree, etc.
Reserve Component: A category of the Armed Forces of the United States where individuals serve on a part-time basis. They are not in full-time active service but are trained and ready to be called to periods of extended active duty.
Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC): Each branch of the military sponsors an ROTC program. The program trains students in leadership and military science and prepares them to serve in the military as commissioned officers when they graduate from college. ROTC also offers financial assistance in exchange for a commitment to serve after graduation.
Residence Hall (Dormitory): A campus building where students live. Food service, social and educational activities are provided. Some schools require students to live in residence halls for a certain amount of time.
Residency Requirements: The minimum amount of time a student must live in the state to pay in-state tuition, which is lower than the tuition paid by out-of-state students.
Resident: A student who meets state residency requirements.
Resident Assistant (RA): A trained student who lives in a dormitory to coordinate programs and activities. RAs may also help students with problems.
Rolling Admission: Policy in which a school sends out acceptance letters to students as they are accepted.
Room and Board: The cost for living in residence halls or other campus housing (room) and receiving meals from the campus food service (board).
ROTC: See Reserve Officer Training Corps.
SAT I: A standardized admission test published by the College Entrance Examination Board. This test concentrates on verbal and mathematical reasoning abilities and is given throughout the academic year at test centers. The maximum score for both sections combined is 1600. See Standardized Admissions Tests.
SAT II: One-hour exams that test proficiency in 15 different subject areas. They are required by some schools in addition to the SAT I. See Subject Area Tests.
Satisfactory Academic Progress: Completion of courses according to school standards. Satisfactory academic progress must be shown to receive financial aid.
Schedule of Classes: A list of classes being offered each semester.
School-to-Work: An effort to connect education to the work-world.
Scholarship: Financial aid awarded for academic and other achievements (music, athletics, etc.). Scholarships do not have to be paid back.
Semester: Calendar system used by some schools. Classes and grade reports are divided into two periods, each lasting about 15 weeks.
Semester Hour: See Credit Hour.
Seminar: A class that has a group discussion format rather than a lecture format.
Senior: A student who has completed 90 or more hours of college credit but has not received a bachelor’s degree.
SGLI: Servicemembers Group Life Insurance
SOC: Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges. Colleges that participate in a program committed to the needs of military servicemembers.
Soldier: Somebody who serves in the Army or other military service.
Sophomore: A student who has completed 30 to 59 college credit hours.
Space Available (Space A): A category of travel that allows military personnel and sometimes their dependents to travel on military transportation when there are seats available.
Split Option Enlistment: Allows an individual to enlist in the ARNG as a high school junior, attend basic training in the summer after his/her junior year and return to school as a senior and drilling member of the Army National Guard.
Standardized Admissions Tests (SAT I, ACT, etc.): Tests designed to measure verbal and mathematical knowledge or skills that are used to predict achievement in college. The test score may be considered along with other factors for admission to the college.
Student Aid Report (SAR): Report of the government’s review of a student’s FAFSA. The SAR is sent to the student and released electronically to the schools that the student listed. The SAR indicates if the student is eligible for aid.
Student Body: All students who attend a particular school.
Student Center or Student Union: A building on campus designed for a variety of uses by students. A bookstore, dining facilities, administrative offices, game rooms, etc. may be located here.
Student Search: A tool colleges use to recruit students by purchasing names from testing services and mailing brochures to potential students.
Study Abroad: Programs where students go to school for some time in another country while making regular progress toward their diplomas or degrees.
Subject Area Tests: Standardized tests given by the American College Testing Program or College Board in specific high school subjects, such as biology, a foreign language, etc. Colleges look at these test scores when making decisions about course placement or admission to a specific program. Many programs do not require these tests.
Support Services: Services provided by most colleges to help students in areas such as academics, veterans affairs, adult and special needs.
Summer Session: A summer term of approximately six weeks.
Syllabus: An important document passed out by the professor at the beginning of a course that outlines the requirements, assignments, goals and objectives of the course.
Teaching Assistant (TA): See Assistant Instructor.
Tech Prep Courses: Classes in which material is taught in an active or applied manner.
Technical /Vocational Schools: Usually, but not always, private institutions which charge fees for education in specific skills and trades (secretarial, welding, etc.) Community colleges offer vocational training.
Tele-registration: Registration for classes by telephone.
Tenure: Guaranteed employment status given to teachers and professors after successful completion of certain requirements within a certain time period.
TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language. An English exam for foreign students used for admission purposes and for placement in college English classes.
Trade: An occupation requiring skilled labor, such as an electrician or tool and die maker.
Training: The instruction of personnel to increase their individual and collective capacity to perform specific military functions and tasks.
Transcript: See Official Transcript.
Transfer Courses: College courses giving credit that may be transferred to another college.
Transfer Student: A student who changes from one school to another. Grades and credits from the first school may or may not be counted at the second. Schools may not accept all the credits earned at another school.
Transfer Program: College program that prepares students to complete the degree at another college. Often junior, community and technical colleges have transfer programs to prepare students to continue their education at colleges and universities offering bachelor’s degrees. These programs usually award associate’s degrees.
Transferable Degree: A degree, usually an associate’s degree, that can be counted as credit toward more education, like a bachelor’s degree, at the same or a different college. See Nontransferable Degree, Transfer Program.
TRICARE: The Department of Defense medical program for members of the Armed Forces and their dependents.
Trimester: A calendar system used by some college that is made up of three 10-12 week periods.
Troop Unit: A unit of the Reserve Component Force that serves as a unit on mobilization or one that is assigned a mobilization mission.
Tuition: The cost of classes or credits at a school.
Tutor: Experienced adults or students who help others study a specific subject.
Unconditional Admission: Status given to students who meet all of a school’s admission standards.
Undergraduate: Student working on a bachelor’s degree.
Unit: A value that indicates the amount of college credit given for a course. See Credit Hour. A military organization.
Unit Training Assembly: An authorized and scheduled military training period of at least four hours. See Drill.
University: A postsecondary institution that has several colleges or schools, grants graduate degrees, and may have research facilities.
Upper Division Courses: Courses designated for the junior and senior years of college.
Upperclassperson: Student who is a junior or senior but has not yet received an undergraduate degree.
VA Work-Study: A part-time job opportunity that pays minimum wage to members who are eligible for MGIB benefits. The pay is free from Federal and state taxes.
Veteran: Someone who has served in the Armed Forces.
Virtual Visit: The use of the Internet to investigate various colleges by looking at their home pages. A student can “tour” the college, ask questions via email, read school newspapers, and explore course offerings and major requirements.
Vocational college: See Junior College, Technical College, Proprietary School.
Wait List: A list of those students who will be admitted to a college or school only if an opening becomes available. Schools rank their wait lists in order of priority. Students are usually notified in May or June, if they are admitted.
Waiver: Exemption from a requirement such as class waiver or fee waiver.
Waiver to View Recommendations: The form many high schools ask their students to sign in which they agree not to review their teachers’ recommendation letters before they are sent to the colleges or universities to which they are applying.
Warrant Officer: A military specialist in a particular field who holds a warrant granted by the Secretary of the Army.
Web-based classes: Classes held on the Internet instead of in a traditional classroom.
Web registration: Registration for classes through the Internet.
Withdrawal: The procedure that allows students to leave or disenroll from a class. It usually requires a specific form and appropriate signatures.
Work Study Program: See Federal Work Study Program.