Glossary

Early Action (EA) A program which allows students to apply to a school early and receive a decision well in advance of the institution’s regular decision date. Students do not have to enroll in the university if they are accepted through early action.

Early Admission Students who submitted an early action or early decision application and gained acceptance well before an institution’s regular decision deadline.

Early Decision (ED) A program which allows students to apply to a school early and receive their decision in advance of other students. However, if students are admitted through early decision, they will be bound to enrolling and must withdraw applications to all other institutions.

Early Decision I and II – see “Early Decision” Early decision I has an earlier application and decision date than early decision II. For schools that offer early decision I, students usually hear back around December 15. For early decision II, this date is usually around January 15. Some schools offer both programs.

EFC (Expected Family Contribution) An index number used to determine a student’s eligibility for financial aid resulting from the information a student input into their FAFSA. Higher EFCs are correlated with less aid and lower EFCs are correlated with more aid.

Endowment Money and other financial assets that are donated to academic institutions. Endowments are usually invested - part of the investment income is used for the institutions’ operations and the rest is reinvested.

Engineering School An institution that is accredited to give students a baccalaureate degree in engineering. Many, but not all, colleges and universities offer specialized engineering programs for undergraduate students.

Enrollment The total number of students who are actively taking classes at a particular institution.

Evaluative Interview An interview with a student, alumni member, or representative that is designed to help an institution further assess the student as a potential candidate for acceptance.

Experiential Learning The process of learning by doing. For example, instead of listening to lectures, students get to participate in activities and apply their learning to real-life situations.

Extracurriculars Activities that students participate in outside of the classroom. Examples include clubs, sports teams, part-time jobs, and cultural activities.