Application Type
With this type of application, you apply by January and hear by April. You have until May 1 to decide whether or not you'd like to accept the offer.
Regular Decision
This is the number or percentage of students who ultimately receive a degree from a college. It may be measured in 4-years, 5-years or 6-years.
Graduation Rate
A year or a semester, or an intensive experience equal to a course that takes place outside the United States, it involves considerable interaction between the student and the culture.
Study abroad
An admissions decision. You are not accepted. The decision is made by the college or university admissions committee and is forwarded to you and your high school.
Deny
This application is completed online, and can be sent to many different colleges simultaneously. It is the primary application used by colleges & universities.
The Common Application
With this type of application, you apply early (November or December) and hear early (December or January). You have until May 1 to make a decision.
Early Action
This is the number or percentage of students who are accepted to a college.
Acceptance Rate
This is an experience-based opportunity, most often scheduled during breaks in the academic calendar, whereby a student receives credit for a supervised work experience related to his or her major.
Internship
An admissions decision. You are not accepted...for now. You have been placed on a list in case an opening becomes available. Schools rank students in order of priority, and unfortunately, the more competitive schools often never draw from these lists.
Waitlist
This is when faculty members from several departments or areas of study contribute to the development of the course of study and may co-teach the course.
Interdisciplinary Learning
This admission plan allows students to apply to colleges on an ongoing basis, until a late summer deadline. Responses are sent out within a few weeks of application.
Rolling Admissions
This is the ratio of students who attend the college to the number of professors teaching at the college.
Student to faculty ratio
This phrase refers to sororities and fraternities. These organizations may have great impact on the campus social life of a college or university.
Greek Life
An admissions decision. The college has decided not to make a decision about your application at this time. Your application will be considered with later applicants. This is only an outcome in early application deadlines.
Defer
This option allows students to complete a class by studying on their own. A student and his or her professor agree in advance on the topic and approach and meet periodically to discuss the student’s progress. A final report is handed in for a grade at the end of the term.
Independent Study
You apply early (November or January) and hear early (December or February). If admitted, you must withdraw all other applications and attend.
Early Decision
This is the number or percentage of students returning after freshman year for sophomore year.
Retention Rate
This is a program with a series of experiences and advising that helps students prepare for a professional career after college. Common programs may be pre-law, pre-dental or pre-medical. It is NOT a major.
Pre-Professional Program
This happens on rare occasion when a student’s grades drop significantly after the student is admitted or if the student is academically dishonest.
Rescinded/Revoked Admission
This is the practice of permitting students enrolled at one college to enroll in courses at another institution. This can be an advantage for students in a smaller college who might like to expand their options or experience another learning environment.
Cross-registration (typically part of a consortium)
Only offered at a few colleges, with this application type you apply early (November) and hear early (December). You have until May 1 to decide if you'd like to accept the offer, however, you may not submit any additional early applications.
This rate in college admissions is the percent of students who choose to enroll in a particular college or university after having been offered admission
Yield
The concentrated focus of education that a student chooses to pursue. Colleges and universities often specify the number of courses needed, the sequence of courses, and the level of course necessary to complete the requirements.
Major
Unless you are admitted Early Decision, you have until this date to make the final selection of which college you will attend.
May 1
These awards are based on excellence in academics, leadership, volunteerism, athletic ability, and other areas determined by the granting organization, which can be a college or university, an organization, or an individual. They are considered "free money", and don't need to be paid back.
Merit aid