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Glossary

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Athletically Related Student Aid

Any scholarship, grant or other form of financial assistance, offered by an institution, the terms of which require the recipient to participate in a program of intercollegiate athletics at the institution in order to be eligible to receive such assistance. If a student receives athletically related student aid for more than one sport, that student is counted only once using the following hierarchy: football, basketball, baseball, cross-country/track, all other sports.

CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs)

A classification of program terms and descriptions reflecting the manner in which institutional instructional program data are organized, collected and reported. Developed by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Used to report by field of study.

FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) Enrollment

The numerator used to compute full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment is the total semester hours (either full-year or semester) in which all applicable students are enrolled. The denominator is the number of semester credit hours a full-time student needs to earn in one year. The annual FTE denominator for undergraduate enrollment is 30, based on the estimate that it takes a full-time student 30 hours per year to complete a 120-hour baccalaureate degree program in four years. Graduate students are expected to take 12 credit hours per semester or 24 credit hours per year.

Fall Cohort

Includes students who enrolled full-time, were degree/certificate-seeking and were classified as first-time freshmen at an institution during the fall term. Academic activity of the cohort group is tracked for years to determine persistence rates and graduation rates.

First-Time Freshman

An entering freshman who has never attended any college. Includes students enrolled in the fall term who attended college for the first time in the prior summer term. Also includes students who entered with advanced standing (college credits earned before graduation from high school).

Full-Time Student

At the undergraduate level, a student enrolled for 12 or more semester credits, or 12 or more quarter credits, or 24 or more contact hours a week each term.

Graduation Rate

The percentage of students from the original fall cohort who completed a degree program within 150% of the normal time. If the degree program normally takes four years to complete, a student would be counted as a completer if he/she received a degree within six years.

Non-Credit Course

A course or activity having no credit applicable toward a degree, diploma, certificate or other formal award.

Number of Enrollments

The cumulative headcount of students enrolled during each semester of the year. It is a duplicated headcount; that is, a student enrolled for the summer, fall and spring semesters would be counted three times.

Persistence Rate

The percentage of students from the original cohort group who are enrolled during the following year.

Unclassified Student

A student who is enrolled for credit but not pursuing a degree or formal award.

Unduplicated Headcount

A headcount in which a student is counted only once for the full-year time period or for the fall semester. Headcount is unduplicated only within the institution. Consequently, a student who takes courses at two separate institutions would be counted at both institutions. During the time period under consideration, students are assigned to the class level in which they enrolled during their last active semester (freshman/sophomore – lower division, junior/senior – upper division, graduate, and professional).