Glossary
Glossary
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
NAVIGATE: Exploring College and Careers
3131
Admission process: the application
and evaluation process a prospective
student goes through to be accepted
to a school.
Advanced Placement (AP): a program of college-
level courses taught in high schools to prepare
students for Advanced Placement (AP) tests. These
tests, administered by the College Board, provide
the opportunity for students to earn college credit.
2-Year
Associate degree: a degree
awarded by community colleges,
technical schools and some
universities after completion of a
program of approximately 60
credit hours (also called a two-
year degree).
4-Year
Bachelor’s degree: a degree
awarded by a college or
university after completion of an
academic program of
approximately 120 credit hours
(sometimes called a four-year
degree).
Career: a professional field or occupation that one
trains for or undertakes as an intentional path.
Class rank: a measure of a student’s grades
compared to the other students in the class.
College: an institution that oers classes and
instruction leading to a bachelor’s degree and/or
vocational training and certification.
Community college: a two-year school that oers
associate degrees and workforce certification
programs (sometimes called a junior college).
Commuter student: student who
lives o campus and travels to the
school for courses and other
activities.
Credit-by-exam: tests that provide the opportunity
to earn college or high school credit by passing a
standardized test without taking a course.
Dual-credit courses: high school courses that
count toward high school graduation requirements
and earn college credit hours.
Fees: see tuition and fees.
FAFSA®
Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA): an
application that includes financial
information about a student and his
or her family and is used to
determine the student's eligibility
for financial aid.
GED: a set of tests that allow people who did not
graduate from high school to obtain high school
credentials.
GPA (grade point average): an average of a
student’s grades in all classes taken, often reported
on a four-point scale.
Human capital: knowledge, talent, experience and
skills that people possess.
In-state tuition: the tuition paid by students who
reside in the same state as the college or university
they attend.
International Baccalaureate Program (IB
Program): a program of challenging high school
classes with a global focus. Courses include
examinations that may allow a student to earn
college credit.
Junior college: see community college.
