College Terms and Definitions

This application makes it possible for students to use one admissions application to apply to over 900 member colleges and universities.

• FAFSA

• Common Application

• Cal State Apply

• UC Application

A student whose permanent residence is in the same state as the college or university he or she attends or hopes to attend.

• In-state resident.

• Out of state resident.

• International student.

• Non- resident student.

This is the official document containing the record of a student’s academic performance and testing history.

• FAFSA.

• Fee waiver.

• Applicant.

• Transcript.

Is when a prospective student applies for admission by the early deadline (before the regular admission deadline) and receives notice of acceptance, denial, or deferment

with no obligation to the university to enroll, if accepted for admission.

• Early decision.

• Early admission.

• Early action.

• Deferred admisson.

Through this program offered by many post-secondary schools, students willing to commit to a school if accepted submit their application by a date well before the general

admission deadline. If accepted, the student must enroll in that school, so students should only apply early decision to their first-choice school.

• Deferred enrollment.

• Early action.

• Gap-year program.

• Early decision.

This is a practice used by some institutions to review and complete applications as they arrive, rather than according to a set deadline.

• Rolling admission.

• Early decision.

• Early action.

• Deferred enrollment.

An applicant is put on this when an admissions officer or committee decides to offer the applicant the opportunity to enroll in the institution only if there is space available in the incoming class after fully admitted students have responded to their offers to enroll.

• Denial list.

• Early action.

• Dean's List.

• Waitlist.

A minor is a student's concentrated field of study.

• True

• False

A prerequisite is a course that must be taken prior to enrollment in another course.

• False

• True

This is the amount of money you and your family

could be expected to pay for one year of college costs, based on the data gathered from the FAFSA and determined by a federal formula applied to that data.

• Cost of Attendance

• Estimated Family Contribution.

• Unmet needs.

• Award Letter