Glossary of Terms
Click here to access Net Price Calculator
Academic year | The period of time generally extending from August to May; usually equated to two semesters or trimesters, three quarters, or the period covered by a 4-1-4 calendar system. |
Books and supplies | The average cost of books and supplies for a typical student for an entire academic year (or program). Does not include unusual costs for special groups of students (e.g. engineering or art majors), unless they constitute the majority of students at an institution. |
Calendar system | The method by which an institution structures most of its courses for the academic year. |
Degree/certificate seeking students | Students enrolled in courses for credit and recognized by the institution as seeking a degree, certificate, or other formal award. High school students also enrolled in postsecondary courses for credit are not considered degree/certificate seeking. |
Expected Family Contribution (EFC) | The Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is the amount a family can be expected to contribute toward a student’s college costs. Financial aid administrators determine an applicant’s need for federal student aid from the U.S. Department of Education and other sources of assistance by subtracting the EFC from the student’s cost of attendance (COA). |
Federal grants | Grants provided by federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Education, including Title IV Pell Grants and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG). Also includes need-based and merit-based educational assistance funds and training vouchers provided from other federal agencies and/or federally sponsored educational benefits programs, including the Veteran’s Administration, Department of Labor, and other federal agencies. |
Federal work-study | Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, Title IV, Part C; Public Laws 89-329, 92-318, 94-482, et al; 42 USC 2751-2756b.) FWS provides part-time employment to eligible postsecondary students to help meet educational expenses. |
Financial Aid | Grants, loans, scholarships, tuition waivers, veteran’s benefits, employer aid (tuition reimbursement), and other monies (other than from relatives/friends) provided to students to meet expenses. |
First-time student |
|
Full-time student (Undergraduate) | A student enrolled for 12 or more semester credits, 12 or more quarter credits, or 24 or more contact hours per week each term. |
In-district student | A student who is a legal resident of the locality in which he/she attends school and thus is entitled to reduced tuition charges if offered by the institution. |
In-district tuition | The tuition charged by the institution to those students residing in the locality in which they attend school. This may be a lower rate than in-state tuition if offered by the institution. |
In-state student | A student who is a legal resident of the state in which he/she attends school and thus is entitled to reduced tuition charges if offered by the institution. |
In-state tuition | The tuition charged by institutions to those students who meet the state’s or institution’s residency requirements. |
Institutional grants | Scholarships granted and funded by the institution and/or individual departments within the institution (i.e. instruction, research, public service) that may contribute indirectly to the enhancement of these programs. Includes scholarships targeted to certain individuals (e.g., based on state of residence, major field of study) for which the institution designates the recipient. |
Integrated Postsecondary | The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), conducted by the NCES, began in 1986 and involves annual institution-level data collections. All postsecondary institutions that have a Program Participating Agreement with the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), U.S. Department of Education (throughout IPEDS referred to as “Title IV”) are required to report data using a web-based data collection system. IPEDS currently consists of the following components: Institutional Characteristics (IC); 12-month Enrollment (E12); Completions (C); Human Resources (HR); Fall Enrollment (EF); Graduation Rates (GRS); Finance (F); and Student Financial Aid (SFA). |
Other expenses | The amount of money (estimated by the financial aid office) needed by a student to cover expenses such as laundry, transportation, and entertainment. For the purposes of providing pricing data, room and board and tuition and fees should not be included here. |
Out-of-state student | A student who is not a legal resident of the state in which he/she attends school. |
Out-of-state tuiton | The tuition charged by institutions to those students who do not meet the institution or state’s residency requirements. |
Required Fees | A fixed sum charged to students for items not covered by tuition and required of such a large proportion of all students that the student who does not pay the charge is an exception. |
Scholarships | Grants-in-aid, trainee stipends, tuition and fee waivers, prizes, or other monetary awards given to undergraduate students. |
Semester (Calendar System) | A calendar system that consists of two sessions called semesters during the academic year with about 15 weeks for each semester of instruction. There may be an additional summer session. |
State/Local Government Grants | Grant monies provided by the state such as Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnerships (LEAP) (formerly SSIG’s); merit scholarships provided by the state; and tuition and fee waivers for which the institution was reimbursed by a state agency. Local government grants include scholarships or gift-aid awarded directly to the student. |
Trimester (calendar system) | An academic year consisting of three terms of approximately 15 weeks each. |