ACT         One of the standardized tests used as one of the factors for college admission. It contains four parts, English, Reading, Math, Science Reasoning. Scores range from 1-36 for each subtest and for a composite score. Generally, the ACT and SAT I are both acceptable at nearly every college and university. Admission offices generally use the test with the higher scores when making admission decisions.

AP (Advanced Placement)     College-level exams offered by the College Board in a number of subjects. These tests are scored on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the highest score. Many colleges give college credit for scores of 3 or 4 or 5. Students who take the AP exams are generally those who have been through an academic year of intense and accelerated study in that subject area.

All-American     A high school sports award reflecting an athlete who is one of the top players in the country.

All-State     A high school sports award reflecting an athlete who is one of the top players in the state.

AP Scholar     An award given by the College Board to students who score 3 or higher on at least three different AP exams.

Associate's Degree        A two-year degree which either prepares the student for further study or is sufficient training for certain careers.

Common Application     A generic college application that can be used for many colleges around the country. The application may be prepared and/or submitted on line at www.commonapp.org

Decile     A division used in breaking down class rank into tenths. Top decile refers to the top 10 percent of the class; second decile refers to top 10 to 20 percent of the class, and so on. There are ten deciles.

Early action     An admission program offered by many schools that allows a student to apply by an earlier deadline and to hear from the college as early as December or January. The program is not binding, so if you are admitted, you can decline the offer.

Early decision     An admission program offered by many schools that allows a student to apply by an earlier deadline and to hear from the college as early as December or January. The program is binding, so if you are admitted, you are obliged to attend that college, withdrawing all your other applications.

Expected Family Contribution (EFC)     This amount is determined via the FAFSA and the "federal methodology" formula.  Considering many financial factors of the family, this is the amount the family is said to be capable of paying.

Estimator of financial need     Families can ask the college financial aid office to estimate the "expected family contribution."  They can also use a website to run an estimator themselves.  Go to www.finaid.org and click on calculators/tools and then link to the financial aid estimator.  Information is not saved and no personal identification is needed to run the estimator.

FAFSA        The Free Application for Federal Student Aid.  This is the primary form to use to apply for virtually all financial aid...federal, state, and institutional.  Forms are available in the Guidance Office beginning about December.  They cannot be filed until after January 1 of the year the student will be attending college.  This form has to be refiled each year.  IRS Form 1040 information is required, although an estimate may be used.

Federal Methodology     The federal government uses a formula to determine a family's ability to pay for education.  The formula changes annually, based on legislative action.  Generally, the formula factors in a certain percentage of parent income and assets, a larger percentage of student income and assets, and makes allowances for the age of parents, liabilities, number of students in the family, and more.

Financial Aid   A general term referring to financial assistance for students.  Assistance comes in the form of need-based aid (based on the financial needs of the family) and/or merit aid (based on the students' grades and test scores or other special skills and talents).  The term includes aid from federal and state governments, scholarships from academic institutions and independent sources, and loans from the government and private lending institutions.  For a glossary related to additional financial aid terms, loan jargon, grants, etc, follow this link:

http://www.studentloanfunding.com/pages/glossary_page.html

Gift Assistance    Scholarships and Grants are forms of financial aid that is considered a gift.  The money awarded does not have to be repaid. 

GPA         Grade Point Average. The grade average found by assigning points to each letter grade (A=4, B=3, C=2, D=1, F=0), multiplying them by the amount of credit at which the course is valued, adding them together, then dividing by the total number of credits attempted. On a scale where A=4, straight A’s would be a GPA of 4.0.

Grants     Grants are usually need-based aid and can come from the federal or state government or from the college.

Legacy         The daughter or son of a graduate of a particular school. A student would be considered a legacy if her/his father or mother graduated from that school. The term refers only to sons and daughters of graduates from the school, not to those whose aunts, uncles, grandparents, et cetera, attended.

Loans     Funds that are borrowed by the student or parent for a specific amount of time and must be paid back.  Student loans in most cases are need-based aid.

Mean         A mathematical term referring to the average score of a group of scores. It is calculated by adding up all the scores and dividing by the total number.

Median         A mathematical term referring to the middle score of a group of scores. Half of the group scores over the median, while half scores under the median.

Minority         In the context of college admissions, the four minority groups are Asian-Americans, African-Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanics.

National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (NMSQT)         The prestigious scholarship competition connected to the PSAT. Colleges and corporations award scholarships to many National Merit Finalists.

National Merit Semi-Finalists         One half of one percent of the juniors who take the PSAT qualify for Semi-Finalist status.

National Merit Finalists         Semi-Finalists who complete an application and have consistent SAT I scores compete for Finalist status. A large number of finalists receive scholarship.

Need-based aid     Aid awarded to a student based on financial need as determined through the "federal methodology" which is the formula used by the federal government via the FAFSA to determine a family's expected contribution to the costs of education.  The amount of need is directly related to the costs of the institution the student will attend.  

Need-blind         A term used in college admission to describe the fact that the school does not take into account the applicant’s ability to pay when making admission decisions.

Quartile         A division used in breaking down class rank into fourths. Top quartile refers to the top 25 percent of the class; second quartile refers to top 25-50 percent of the class, and so on. There are four quartiles.

Rank         A method used by high schools to express where the student stands in his or her high school class. A rank of 1/100 would mean that the student has the highest GPA in the class and ranks above the other 99 students.

Recruited athlete         An elite-level athlete who is one of a college coach’s top choices for his sport’s team.

SAT          One of the standardized tests used as one of the factors for college admission. Published by the College Board, it has two sections, verbal and math, which are scored and expressed separately. Scores range from 200-800 on each section.

SAT Subject Tests         One-hour subject tests prepared by the College Board in over seventeen different academic areas. Many highly selective colleges require two or three of these tests for admission. Generally students take Writing, Math, and another of their choice.

Scholarships     Scholarships are a form of financial aid based usually on merit, but sometimes they are based on need.  Scholarships are given to students who have special skills or abilities.  Scholarships come from a variety of sources.

Self-Help Aid    Funds provided through the work and effort of the student.  Such aid includes loans and work-study.

Transcript         The official high school record of grades and course work that is forwarded to colleges.

Wait List         A list of students who were not accepted outright to colleges but were too strong to reject outright. These wait lists can include as few as ten students and as many as several hundred. Every school has a different policy with regard to putting students on the wait list.

Weighted grades        A high school treatment of grades on the transcript in which extra points are added to give extra credit for difficult courses. (For example, in an AP course, an A=5 points instead of 4.)

Work-Study     Funds that provide students the opportunity to earn money through campus or community employment.  "Federal Work-Study" is need-based aid.  Colleges often offer student employment of their own, which is not need-based.