Note: Items preceded by an asterisk (*) represent definitions agree to among
publishers which do not appear on the CDS document but may be present on individual
publisher’s surveys.
*Academic advisement: plan under which each student is assigned to a faculty member
or a trained adviser, who, through regular meetings, helps the student plan and implement
immediate and long-term academic and vocational goals.
Accelerated program: Completion of a college program of study in fewer than the
usual number of years, most often by attending summer sessions and carrying extra courses
during the regular academic term.
Admitted student: Applicant who is offered admission to a degree-granting program at your institution.
*Adult student services: admission assistance, support, orientation, and other
services expressly for adults who have started college for the first time, or who are
re-entering after a lapse of a few years.
American Indian or Alaska native: A person having origins in any of the original
peoples of North America and who maintains cultural identification through tribal
affiliation or community recognition.
Applicant (first-time, first year): An individual who has fulfilled the
institution’s requirements to be considered for admission (including payment or
waiving of the application fee, if any) and who has been notified of one of the following
actions: admission, nonadmission, placement on waiting list, or application withdrawn (by
applicant or institution).
Application fee: That amount of money that an institution charges for processing a
student’s application for acceptance. This amount is not creditable toward
tuition and required fees, nor is it refundable if the student is not admitted to the
institution.
Asian or Pacific Islander: A person having origins in any of the original peoples
of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, or Pacific Islands. This
includes people from China, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, American Samoa, India,
and Vietnam.
Associate’s degree: An award that normally requires at least two but less than
four years of full-time equivalent college work.
Bachelor’s degree: An award (baccalaureate or equivalent degree, as determined
by the Secretary, U.S. Department of Education) that normally requires at least four years
but not more than five years of full-time equivalent college-level work. This
includes ALL bachelor’s degrees conferred in a five-year cooperative (work-study
plan) program. A cooperative plan provides for alternate class attendance and employment
in business, industry, or government; thus, it allows students to combine actual work
experience with their college studies. Also, it includes bachelor’s degrees in which
the normal four years of work are completed in three years.
Black, non-Hispanic: A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of
Africa (except those of Hispanic origin).
Board (charges): Assume average cost for 19 meals per week or the maximum meal
plan.
Books and supplies (costs): Average cost of books and supplies. Do not include
unusual costs for special groups of students (e.g., engineering or art majors), unless
they constitute the majority of students at your institution.
Calendar system: The method by which an institution structures most of its courses
for the academic year.
*Career and placement services: A range of services, including (often) the
following: coordination of visits of employers to campus; aptitude and vocational testing;
interest inventories, personal counseling; help in resume writing, interviewing, launching
the job search; listings for those desiring students employment and those seeking
permanent positions; establishment of a permanent reference folder; career resource
materials.
Carnegie units: One year of study or the equivalent in a secondary school subject.
Certificate: See Postsecondary award, certificate, or diploma.
Class rank: The relative numerical position of a student in his or her graduating
class, calculated by the high school on the basis of grade-point average, whether weighted
or unweighted.
College preparatory program: Courses in academic subjects (English, history and
social studies, foreign languages, mathematics, science, and the arts) that stress
preparation for college or university study.
Common Application: The standard application form distributed by the National
Association of Seco
