Your key to college lingo

Add: Adding a course happens during a set period of time before the course startsand during the first week or two of classes. The timing varies depending on the college. See an advisor or the registrar’s office for more information.

Admissions office: The admissions office is where you can meet with an admissions counselor to learn about the different degree programs offered by a college. This is whereyou will send your application. Many times, the admissions office determines ifyou are accepted or rejected from a degree program. 

Advisor: An advisor is a person who can: 

• Talk to you about your degree program, course schedule, study habits, and what courses best suit your goals. 

• Assist you in adding/dropping/withdrawing from courses. 

• Help you get contact information for a person or department on campus. 

• Explain a degree requirement.

Audit: Auditing allows you to attend a course to gain information without being expected or required to do the assignments. Audited courses do not earn you a grade and do not count toward your degree requirements, but the course does appear on your transcript. 

CLEP: CLEP stands for “College-Level Examination Program.” CLEP exams are distributedby The College Board (collegeboard.com) and can be used to fulfill requirementsof your degree. 

Credit hours: Credit hours are awarded to a student upon passing a course. Courses typically range from one to five credit hours. 

Drop: Dropping a course is when you remove yourself from the course roster either before the course starts or during the first week or two of classes. Verify the dates of the drop period. Not attending a course does not automatically drop you from it. 

Full-time status: Generally, full-time is when you are enrolled in 12 or more credit hours, usually three to five classes. 

Half-time status: Generally, half-time is when you are enrolled in six to 11 credit hours, usually two to three classes. 

Incomplete grade: A grade given by the professor if you have completed at least 75 percent of the coursework. Work for the course is completed on an independent basis, and it is the student’s responsibility to stay in touch with the professor to complete the work. 

Major: Your major is the title of your degree. You may have different concentrations or focus areas within your major. For example, you might major in business administration but focus on finance and marketing. 

Matriculated: When you have officially been accepted into a program. You must be matriculated to receive financial aid. 

Minor: An extra credential you can receive that usually consists of five to six courses in one area of study.

Non-matriculated: When you attend a college and take courses without being officially enrolled in a degree program. Non-matriculated students cannot receive financial aid.

Official transcript: Transcripts from colleges that are sealed and stamped across the seal are considered official. 

Overload: When you take more than a traditional full-time schedule of courses.

Part-time status: Generally, part-time is when you are enrolled in one to five credit hours of study, usually one to two courses depending on the credit hours assigned to each.Quarter system: In a quarter system, there are usually four terms a year (fall, winter, spring,summer), each lasting 10 to 11 weeks. 

Registrar’s office: The registrar’soffice is where you go to add or drop a class from your schedule, request official transcripts, obtain a student ID, withdraw from the college or take a leave of absence. The registrar’s office also inputs your transfer credit, processes all academic-related forms and houses all official student documentation.

Semester system: In a semester system, there are usually two main semesters per year (fall and spring), each lasting 15 to 17 weeks, depending on the school.

Transfer student: There are two types of transfer students: internal and external. An internal transfer student remains at the same college but changes majors. An external transfer student leaves one college to enter another. If you transfer, be aware of the possibility that not all the courses you have completed may transfer into your new major or college. 

Unofficial transcript: A transcript is unofficial if you have opened an official one, or if it’s just a list of your courses with the corresponding grades and credit hours that you requested from the college or downloaded off the Internet. 

Withdraw: When you withdraw from a course, you must either fill out a course withdrawal form or use your school’s online withdrawal system. Withdrawal periods vary from college to college, but usually the further into the quarter you withdrawfrom a course, the less money you will get back. After a certain date, no moneyis refunded. Students who withdraw receive a grade of “W” on their transcripts.