Navigating the world of higher education can often feel like learning a new language. To help you understand the complex and diverse U.S. higher education glossary system, we’ve come up with this glossary to provide you with definitions and explanations of the most common terms you’ll encounter. So, whether you’re a freshman just beginning your journey or a seasoned professional seeking additional qualifications, I hope you’ll find this article valuable.
Navigating the world of higher education can often feel like learning a new language. To help you understand the complex and diverse U.S. higher education glossary system, we’ve come up with this glossary to provide you with definitions and explanations of the most common terms you’ll encounter. So, whether you’re a freshman just beginning your journey or a seasoned professional seeking additional qualifications, I hope you’ll find this article valuable.
U.S. Higher Education Glossary
1. Accreditation
A formal acknowledgment indicating that a university or college aligns with the benchmarks set by a local or national association. Though international learners are not compelled to attend an endorsed institution in the United States, globally, employers, other educational institutions, and governments typically only recognize qualifications from endorsed establishments.
2. Degrees and Programs
One of the exciting aspects of higher education is the variety and flexibility of the degrees and programs available. These cater to a diverse range of interests, strengths, and career goals. From associate degrees at community colleges to Ph.D. programs at universities, there’s an opportunity for everyone to explore their academic interests. Here are key terms of U.S. Higher Education Glossary, you’ll encounter when exploring degrees and programs:
i) Bachelor’s Degree
Colleges and students offers this academic degree for students after the successful completion of an undergraduate program of study. Here are some common terms of U.S. Higher Education Glossary that related to the Bachelor’s degree program:
Freshman: A common term used for a student’s first-year status at any educational institution.
Grade Point Average (GPA): The average score of all grades received by a student in overall course.
Junior: This is a well-known term to describe a student’s first year status at an educational institution.
Advanced Placement (AP): These are the tests for students for purposes such as admission and course placement by the College Board.
Advanced Placement Class (AP Class): This refers to college-level courses in high schools across the United States and Canada. The purpose is to to prepare students for the AP exams. Successful students will earn college credit.
Liberal arts: These are the academic disciplines which includes subjects in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences.
Liberal arts college: A postsecondary institution that focuses on undergraduate education in the liberal arts.
Graduate or Post-Baccalaureate Certificate: A collection of specialized courses for individuals with completed bachelor’s degrees to focus on a particular area of knowledge.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE): A standardized test for many graduate schools by a commercial entity and commonly for the admission requirement.
Major: A specific program of study that leads to a degree, representing the subject area in which a college student develops the most comprehensive knowledge.
Minor: A secondary field of study outside of a student’s major area. Some degree programs may require the completion of a minor.
Senior: A final year student before he receives a baccalaureate degree.
Sophomore: A college or university’s second-year undergraduate student is sophomore.
ii) Community College
A higher education institution that offers two-year programs and is typically publicly funded. It provides educational opportunities to the students with the need of local community rights. Here are some common terms of U.S. Higher Education Glossary that related to the Community College program:
Associate Degree: Once a student successful completes a two-year program of study, he/she can get enrolled in an associate degree program by community colleges, junior colleges, four-year universities, business colleges, and some bachelor’s degree-granting institutions.
Credit Hour: A unit of measurement that assigns value, level, or time requirements to an academic course taken at a school or educational institution.
English as a Second Language (ESL): A course or program for non-native speakers of the language to make them fluent in the English.
Fees: An additional charge to cover the costs of various services such as libraries and computer technology taken by colleges and universities.
General Educational Development (GED): A series of five subject tests that certify the academic proficiency at a high school level of individuals in the United States or Canada who did not complete traditional high school education.
Junior College: A two-year postsecondary institution for associate degrees to prepares students for further education or entry into the workforce.
Open admissions: A policy to accept all students with completed high school degree, irrespective of their grades, until all available spaces are filled.
Transfer credit: Academic credit granted towards a degree based on coursework completed at another college or university.
iii) Doctorate/Doctoral Degree (Ph.D.)
Doctorate/Doctoral Degree (Ph.D.) is an advanced academic degree with the highest level of formal study or research in a given field. Here are some common terms of U.S. Higher Education Glossary that are related to the Ph.D. Degree program:
Dissertation: A comprehensive and scholarly written work on an original research topic also known as thesis statement. It is typically submitted at the final stages of degree to earn a doctorate (Ph.D.).
Assistantship: An academic position for a qualified graduate student which involves part-time teaching, research responsibilities or more.
Institute: An organization dedicated to research or for a specific purpose within a college or university campus.
Post-Doctorate: Advanced academic studies or research pursued by individuals who have already obtained a doctorate degree. The term “postdoc” can refer to both the person undertaking this period of study or research and the program itself.
3. Financial Aid
Here are the several types of financial aid of U.S. Higher Education Glossary that are available to students:
Affidavit of Support: An official document for international student to secure their financial backing from an individual or organization. This aid covers educational and living expenses of students during their study time period in the United States.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid: An application for U.S. citizens and permanent residents to request financial aid from the federal and state governments. This is for asking financial support in their college or university education.
Fellowship: A monetary award for postgraduate students to support their advanced-level studies in the subject of their interest.
Grant: A form of financial assistance for student with a sum of money that does not need to be repaid.
Loan: A type of financial aid for a student with a sum of money that he must be repay within a given timeframe.
Merit aid / merit scholarships: Financial assistance for students exceptional academic abilities or talents by colleges or universities.
Need-based financial aid: Financial aid for students with high financial needs to help them cover educational expenditures.
Scholarship: Financial aid for students in the form of a grant with no repayment. It is awarded on various criteria such as academic achievement, extracurricular activities, or personal characteristics.
Work-study: A federal government-funded program for undergraduate or graduate students to work part-time either on campus or with approved off-campus employers. It helps them them with financial assistance to support their education.
4. Admissions
The admissions process involves the procedures a student must go through to enroll at a college or university. This may include:
Achievement Test: It is one of a battery of standardized examinations used by several schools in the admissions and course-placing processes.
American College Test (ACT): The American College Testing Programme (ACT) administers the American College Test (ACT), a standardized test for college admissions.
Common Application: More than 450 participating institutions use this standardized application for considering applicants.
Conditional admission: A student may be offered admission to a university on the condition that they first fulfil certain requirements, such as completing prerequisite courses, before enrolling.
Early action: Some schools encourage early application submission via their “early action” Programme.
Early decision: Some schools enable prospective students to apply early to their school of choice through a process called “early decision.”
Deferral / Deferred admission: A deferral or deferred admission occurs when a student’s early decision or early action application is delayed by the school until it is reviewed alongside the regular pool of applicants.
The Law School Admission Test (LSAT): The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) administers a standardized test known as the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) to prospective law students.
Matriculate: When a student enrols in a degree-granting course of study at a postsecondary institution, they are said to have “matriculated.”
Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT): Prospective medical students take a standardized test called the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) on a computer.
Need-blind admissions: Policies that do not take students’ financial circumstances into account when making admissions choices are known as “need-blind admissions.
Prospective students: Those who have inquired about admission requirements are considered prospective students.
PSAT: The Preliminary SAT, or PSAT, is a practice version of the actual SAT that assesses students’ knowledge in reading, writing, and mathematics.
Regular decision: For consideration in a college or university’s regular decision admissions procedure, applications are normally due on January 1.
Rolling admissions: Some schools adopt a rolling admissions policy, in which applications are reviewed as they are received rather than waiting until a set deadline has passed.
SAT: The College Board owns, publishes, and created the SAT, a standardized exam used in the United States for college admissions.
Wait list: After all admitted students have made their selections, the school may contact those on the wait list to offer them admission if there is still room available.
5. Administrative Terms
Academic terms refer to the common terminology used in academia, including:
Adjunct: A professor who is appointed for a specific purpose to teach part-time without compensation.
Carnegie Classification: It is a classification of colleges and universities established by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.
Chancellor: The principal administrative officer of certain American universities, both public and private, and related institutions.
Dean: The leader of a college or university division.
Department: It is a division of a school composed of faculty and support personnel that provides instruction in a specific field of study such as the history department.
Faculty: Members of an educational institution’s instructional staff, and occasionally administrative staff.
Fees: Colleges and universities charge fees for things like libraries and computer technology in addition to tuition.
Internal Revenue Service (IRS): The federal agency in the United States in charge of collecting income taxes.
International Student Advisor: A school official who aids international students, scholars, and faculty in a variety of matters.
Minority: A subset of a larger population that differs racially or politically from the majority.
Mission statement: It is a declaration that articulates the institution’s vision for its own existence.
Non-matriculated: Students who take classes at a university but do not participate in a degree Programme.
Nonresident: A student who does not fulfil the residency criteria of their home state.
Notarized: Certified students by a public official, barrister, or bank as genuine.
Part-time student: A student who attends a college or university but takes fewer credits than a full-time student.
Private school: A private school is a postsecondary institution that is run by a private person(s) or a nonprofit organization.
Probation: A status or period of time in which students with very low GPAs or substandard academic work must improve.
Professional school: It is a type of university that focuses on providing further vocational education to students who have previously earned a bachelor’s degree in another field.
Provost: High-ranking administrative official in colleges and universities; responsible for academic programmes, faculty recruitment, research, etc.
Public school: A postsecondary institution whose programmes are administered by publicly elected or appointed officials and are primarily supported by public funds.
Registrar: The college or university official in charge of registering students and maintaining their academic records, including transcripts.
Registration: A procedure by which students select and enrol in courses for the academic year or vacation sessions.
Resident assistant (RA): A student leader who supervises dorm-related issues and activities and works in campus dormitories.
Resident/Non-resident Status: Status as a resident or non-resident is determined by a student’s legal place of residence.
Room and board: Room and board refers to housing and food. In addition to tuition, fees, textbooks, and supplies, “room and board” is typically included in the annual estimated cost of attendance provided by colleges and universities.
Term: Periods of study including semesters, quarters, trimesters, and summer sessions.
Trimesters: Periods of study that divide the academic year into three equal segments of approximately 10 to 12 weeks.
Tuition: It is the money you pay to attend a school or university.
Withdraw: To officially cease participation in a course or university enrollment.
6. Academic Terms
Audit: To engage in a self-paced exploration of a subject, acquiring knowledge and understanding without seeking formal recognition or academic credit.
Course load: The educational investment made by a student, determined by the number of courses or credits undertaken within a specific term to broaden their learning experience.
Credit Hour: A quantitative measure that reflects the educational value, level of complexity, or time commitment associated with successfully completing an academic course at an educational institution.
Discipline: A distinct realm of scholarly pursuit, encompassing rigorous study and research within a specialized area of academic inquiry.
Drop: The voluntary act of discontinuing enrollment in a course, typically exercised during a designated period at the commencement of a term when students have the flexibility to modify their course selections.
Electives: Engaging academic opportunities that empower students to choose and pursue courses of personal interest, contributing to their overall degree progress while nurturing intellectual curiosity.
Enroll: The formal process of registering and enlisting oneself as an active participant in a school or specific educational course, thereby gaining access to its resources and educational offerings.
Exempt: Enjoying the privilege of being released from mandatory obligations or requirements that others may be obliged to fulfill, based on individual circumstances or qualifications.
Extracurricular activities: Enriching ventures and pursuits that extend beyond academic classes, offering students the chance to engage in optional activities such as sports, clubs, community service, and other areas of personal interest.
Fraternity: A student organization, predominantly for male students, established to foster social bonds, academic collaboration, community service involvement, or professional development.
Commencement: A ceremonious event held to mark the successful completion of an academic program, during which students officially receive their degrees, symbolizing the beginning of their post-educational journey.
Greek life / Greek system: The collective assembly of fraternities and sororities within a college or university, often associated with Greek letters, that serve as avenues for social connections, personal growth, and a sense of community on campus.
Independent study: An educational opportunity that permits students to earn academic credit by conducting self-directed learning and research outside the traditional classroom environment, under the guidance of a faculty mentor.
Interdisciplinary (studies/majors): An academic field of study that transcends the confines of traditional disciplines, integrating knowledge and methodologies from multiple domains to address complex real-world challenges.
Internship: A practical learning experience wherein students engage in supervised work within a professional environment, allowing them to acquire practical skills, expand their network, and gain industry-specific knowledge.
Ivy League: An esteemed association of eight privately endowed universities located in the northeastern United States, renowned for their rigorous academics, selective admissions, and historical prestige.
Orientation: The official process orchestrated by a college or university to welcome and acclimate new, accepted students to campus life, providing essential information, resources, and policies to facilitate a smooth transition into the academic community.
Priority date: The designated deadline by which an application must be received to receive full consideration, granting applicants the advantage of being given priority in the selection and admission process.
Semester: A distinct segment within an academic year, comprising a specific duration of time during which classes are conducted, and progress is made toward completing coursework and achieving learning outcomes.
Standardized tests: Formal examinations, such as the SAT, ACT, and GRE, that systematically assess knowledge, skills, and aptitude, employing consistent administration and scoring methodologies to ensure fair evaluation and comparison.
Teaching assistant (TA): A graduate student who supports a professor in the instruction of an undergraduate course, often within their specialized field, as part of their academic assistantship, providing valuable teaching and mentoring to undergraduate students.