Glossary

Campus Visit/Tour An opportunity for prospective applicants or admitted students to see the buildings and layout of a particular institution including the classrooms, library, dorms, and dining hall. Campus visits are usually done in-person and offered throughout the spring and fall, but can be facilitated virtually.

Candidates Reply Date Agreement (CRDA) An agreement that many colleges follow which gives applicants until May 1 to accept or decline the offer of admission to their institution. The agreement is supposed to give students the opportunity to hear from most of the institutions they applied to before making a decision.

Capstone Project An opportunity to carry out independent group research in order to devise an innovative solution to a real-world problem. Many high schoolers are able to complete capstone projects through the both the AP and IB curriculum. At many universities, students also have the opportunity to complete capstone projects through advanced level seminars and research classes.

Catalogue A listing of all the courses an institution is offering a particular semester.

Certificates Allow students to obtain expertise in a field without investing the time needed to earn a college degree. Note Students who choose to earn a four-year or two-year degree may also earn certificates in conjunction with this degree. Many choose to do this in lieu of a minor.

Class Rank A ranking of all of the students in an institution based on their grade point averages. Many institutions have stopped publishing class rank in recent years.

Clery Act An act that requires colleges and universities to report campus crime data, support victims of violence, and publicly outline and publicize the policies and procedures they have put in place to improve campus safety.

College A post-secondary institution designed to instruct students in many different branches of advanced learning and to confer degrees. Typically smaller than universities, colleges place an emphasis on undergraduate programs and courses of study instead of graduate programs.

College Application Essay A component of a college application package that highlights students’ writing abilities and capacity to organize their thoughts logically. Usually students will write one main essay that they submit to each institution they apply to in addition to several supplemental essays, as required.

College Credit One college credit represents one hour in the classroom and two hours spent on homework each week. Most college classes are three credits.

College Fair An event that many high schools host in the fall during which representatives from different post-secondary institutions come and talk to prospective students about their programs. Students can usually walk and around and choose which schools they visit with.

College Rep Visit Similar in concept to a college fair except that only one institution is represented during the visit. Usually the institution’s representative will spend the day in the high school’s career center. They will give a presentation to interested students, and typically students can also schedule times to go and speak with them individually.

College Search The process of looking for a post-secondary institution that aligns with your academic goals, financial needs, and desired career path.

Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL) A nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement and support of a student-centered college search process. CTCL releases print materials and has launched numerous outreach efforts regarding higher education access and college choice. Their website features college profiles of CTLC schools and an extensive advice section.

Common Application A single online college application used by over 900 colleges and universities. The application helps students save time because they don’t have to enter all of their personal information, extracurriculars, letters of recommendation ect. multiple times. It is due January 1st.

Community College A non-residential post-secondary institution that provides affordable instruction to those living in a particular area. Many community colleges offer 2-year degrees with the option to transfer to a 4-year institution upon completion of the program.

Commuter School A post-secondary institution at which the majority of students do not live on campus and instead commute in each day from surrounding areas.

Consortium A coalition of two or more schools who share resources and often allow students to enroll and take classes for credit at all participating consortium institutions. Consortium schools are usually geographically close to one another, for example, the Atlanta University Center Consortium.

Cooperative Education (Co-op) A structured method of combining classroom-based education with practical work experience. Participating institutions offer students college credit for the successful completion of temporary practical work experiences, usually lasting for approximately the same length as a college term.

Core Curriculum Required “basic” classes that all students from a particular institution must take regardless of their major or degree track. Usually, they include at least one course each in mathematics, arts, science, and history.

Course Load How many courses and credit hours a student is taking in a particular semester.

Course Number Assigned to each course in a university catalogue. The higher a course number is, the greater degree of difficulty assigned to the course.

Course Term A date range within the academic year during which courses are scheduled to occur. Most, but not all, institutions have two terms per year.

Credit (or semester) Hour One hour of in class instruction and two hours of work outside of class per week. Most college courses are three credit hours.

Cross-registration A system which allows students at a particular post-secondary institution to take individual courses for credit at another institution.

CSS Profile (College Board) An online application used by colleges and scholarship programs to award non-federal institutional aid. Most students complete the application their senior year of high school. It opens October 1, and different schools have different deadlines for submitting the profile.