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Higher Education Glossary
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1023 - In most cases, refers to HB 06S-1023, which declares "It is the public policy of the state of Colorado that all persons eighteen years of age or older shall provide proof that they are lawfully present in the United States prior to receipt of certain public benefits." Research at LexisNexis.
1024 - In most cases, refers to HB 06-1024, which declares "On or before September 1, 2006, each governing board of a state institution of higher education shall submit to the Colorado commission on higher education and the education committees of the senate and the house of representatives, or any successor committees, a report regarding underserved students..." Research at LexisNexis.
1057 - In most cases, refers to HB 05-1057, which declares "...a college preparation program operating within the school district that the college preparation program shall provide to the Colorado commission on higher education, on or before December 31 of each school year, a report specifying each student, by unique identifying number..." Research at LexisNexis.
529 Savings Plan - 529 plans are more than just savings accounts. These state-sponsored college savings plans were established by the federal government in Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code to encourage families to save more for college. They offer unique state and federal tax benefits you can’t get from other ways to save, making them one of the best ways to save for college. Visit CollegeInvest.org
A.A./A.S. - Associate Degree; Associate of Applied Science or Associate of General Studies; Typically requiring two years or 60 college credits to complete;
ACT - The ACT is a national college admission examination that consists of subject area tests in English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science. ACT results are accepted by almost all U.S. colleges and universities. The ACT is administered on five test dates—in October, December, February, April, and June. See their official website.
Accuplacer - A suite of computer-adaptive placement tests that are used as assessment tools at institutions to evaluate the level of course work for a student. Students measured as needing additional course work will be assigned to remediation.
Admission Standard - includes both Freshman and Transfer standard. The freshman standard applies to all in-state and out-of-state new freshmen applicants and to transfer applicants with 12 or fewer college credit hours, except freshmen and transfer applicants who meet one of the admissions standards index exemptions. The transfer standard applies to all degree-seeking undergraduate transfer applicants with more than 12 college credit hours who do not meet one of the exemptions
Admission Window - see window.
AP - Advanced Placement; College level courses taken as a part of a high school program that offers advanced students the opportunity to take courses with more challenging college-level content. Students who complete courses are eligible to take the exams for college credit at most colleges and universities.
B.A./B.S. - Bachelor's of Arts Degree, Bachelor's of Science Degree; Typically requiring four years or approximately 120 college credits to complete;
CCHE - Colorado Commission on Higher Education, see web page.
CCIS - Colorado Consortium for Independent Study, see web site.
CDE - Colorado Department of Education, see web site.
CHEA - Council for Higher Education Accreditation, see web site. As described on their website, CHEA is "A national advocate and institutional voice for self-regulation of academic quality through accreditation, CHEA is an association of 3,000 degree-granting colleges and universities and recognizes 60 institutional and programmatic accrediting organizations."
CIP - Classification of Instructional Program; The purpose of the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) is to provide a taxonomic scheme that will support the accurate tracking, assessment, and reporting of fields of study and program completions activity. Defintion from NCES
CLEP - College Level Examination Program; Earn college credit for passing a subject specific examination. For more information, visit the collegeboard website.
COF - College Opportunity Fund; The College Opportunity Trust Fund was created by the Colorado Legislature and provides a stipend to eligible undergraduate students. The stipend pays a portion of total in-state tuition when a student attends a Colorado public institution or a participating private institution. Eligible undergraduate students must apply, be admitted and enroll at a participating institution. Both new and continuing students are eligible for the stipend. Qualifying students may use the stipend for eligible undergraduate classes. The stipend is paid on a per credit hour basis to the institution at which the student is enrolled. The credit-hour amount will be set annually by the General Assembly. The statutory authority is found in C.R.S. Title 23 Article 18. Click here to apply. Learn more.
CSBE - Colorado State Board of Education, see SBE;
CCODE - Colorado Council of Deans of Education;
DHE - Department of Higher Education, home page.
DPOS - Division of Private Occupational Schools, see web site.
Dually Enrolled - A student enrolled at two institutions at the same time. This may affect enrollment reports when both institutions count that student as enrolled.
ESL - English as a Second Language is a method of helping students who do not speak English to acquire it quickly. ESL differs from bilingual education in that there is no use of the student’s native language. Whereas bilingual education uses the student’s native language as a bridge to help the student transition into English, or even helps the student to become fluent (bilingual) in both their native language and English, ESL’s goal is to teach English language only. School districts often favor ESL over bilingual education because it is less expensive (bilingual teachers and teaching materials are difficult to find and are costly), even though research points to more benefits of helping students to become bilingual.
ESP - Extended Studies Program, see web page. Any reference to Exclusive ESP students are those students that are enrolled in only ESP credit hours.
FA - Financial Aid, visit student FA page, or Educators FA page.
FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid; visit the Federal FAFSA website. Keep in mind, this is a free service provided by the Federal government, you will not have to pay to file your FAFSA.
FERPA - Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, view federal website. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99) is a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. The law applies to all schools that receive funds under an applicable program of the U.S. Department of Education. View FERPA brochure.
Floor - In reference to the admission window, the floor is the minimum requirements for admission without requiring an exception of some kind. This usually coincides with the Index score.
Freshman Standard - see Admission Standard.
FSA - Federal Student Aid; Federal Student Aid on the web. Visit their website.
FTE - Full-time Equivalent; a way to measure a student's academic enrollment activity at an educational institution. An FTE of 1.0 means that the student is equivalent to full-time enrollment.
GEARUP - Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs; A Federal discretionary grant program designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. Federal Program website, Colorado GEARUP website;
GED - General Educational Development; It is sometimes referred to as "General Equivalency Diploma", "General Education(al) Diploma" or "high school equivalency." It is a battery of tests that, when passed, certifies the student has high school academic skills. The GED test is a test of equivalency for the high school diploma.
GPA - Grade Point Average; Cumulative average of course work, usually on a four-point scale. A=4.0, B=3.0, C=2.0, D=1.0, F=0.0; High school GPA is reported on high school transcripts and used in admission evaluation. Postsecondary GPA is used for evaluation of transfer students moving from one institution to another.
GRE - Graduate Records Examination; This exam is used to gauge undergraduate achievement and is often required for admission into a graduate program. Visit their website.
GRS - Graduate Rate Survey; Part of the IPEDS data collection process; View IPEDS definition here;
Guaranteed Transfer, GT Pathways - gtPATHWAYS applies to all Colorado public institutions of higher education, and there are more than 900 lower-division general education courses in 20 subject areas approved for guaranteed transfer. Courses are approved at least twice per academic and calendar year and apply the next semester immediately following their approval. Read more.
HEAR - Higher Education Admission Requirements;
IB - International Baccalaureate; College level courses taken as a part of a high school program that offers advanced students the opportunity to take courses with more challenging college-level content. Students who complete courses are eligible to take the exams for college credit at most colleges and universities.
Index, Index Score - This index score is a quantitative evaluation that is part of a larger student application evaluation. The score is generated from academic achievement (GPA or High School Rank) and college placement tests (ACT or SAT). You can calculate your index score online. Index varies by institution depending on that institutions selection criteria.
IPEDS - Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System; Run by NCES, this system collects statistical data and information on postsecondary institutions. The Colorado Department of Higher Education submits aggregated data on public institutions to IPEDS. Website;
Local District Community Colleges - View colleges.
M.D. - Doctor of Medicine Degree; This degree is earned by medical doctors upon completing the requirements at an accredited medical school.
NMSQT - See PSAT
NCES - National Center for Education Statistics; Website;
NCATE - National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education; NCATE is the profession’s mechanism to help establish high quality teacher preparation. Learn more at their website;
NCLB - No Child Left Behind; The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) -- the main federal law affecting education from kindergarten through high school. Research more at the Federal Department of Education.
Perturb - to confuse, disorder, disturb; In the context of data reporting, perturbing is to hide (usually with an asterisk "*") aggregated data that contain such small numbers as to reveal individual achievement. In most cases, this is done to be in compliance with FERPA.
PSAT/NMSQT - Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test; Administered by the CollegeBoard, the PSAT is a standardized test that provides practice for the SAT Reasoning test. It also gives you a chance to enter National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) scholarship programs.
PSEO - Post Secondary Enrollment Option; A program that offers concurrent enrollment in college courses while in high school.
PSEP - Professional Student Exchange Program; WICHE's Professional Student Exchange Program enables students in 12 western states to enroll in selected out-of-state professional programs usually because those fields of study are not available at public institutions in their home states. Read more.
QIS - Quality Indicator System; Implemented in HB96-1219, the specific quality indicators involved in QIS are similar to those used in the variety of quality indicator systems found in other states: graduation rates, freshmen retention and persistence rates, passing scores or rates on tests and licensure examinations, undergraduate class size, faculty teaching workload rates, and institutional support/administrative expenditures.
RDE - Resource Directory for Educators; See website. The website replaces the previous catalog of courses format and is updated by Colorado's public four-year institutions of higher education.
REP - Regional Education Provider; Colorado Statute authorizes Adams State College, Fort Lewis College, Mesa State College and Western State College to function as regional educational providers and “have as their primary goal the assessment of regional educational needs..." Regional education providers focus their attention on a certain geographical area. See policy IV, part F.
RI - Resident Instruction; Usually described as RI Hours in explaining how many resident credit hours a student attempted and/or completed in a term.
SAR - The Student Aid Report (SAR) summarizes the information you report on your FAFSA. The schools you list on your application can request electronic copies of your SAR and use the information to determine if you are eligible for federal financial aid. View definition.
SAT - Administered by the CollegeBoard, the SAT is a national college admission examination and results are accepted by almost all U.S. colleges and universities.
SBE - State Board of Education; As described on their website, "Members of the Colorado State Board of Education are charged by the Colorado Constitution with the general supervision of the public schools. They have numerous powers and duties specified in state law. Individuals are elected on a partisan basis to serve six-year terms without pay." Visit website.
SURDS - Student Unit Record Data System; Visit our data collection page.
TEAC - Teacher Education Accreditation Council; The Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC), founded in 1997, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving academic degree programs for professional educators, those who will teach and lead in schools, pre-K through grade 12. TEAC’s goal is to support the preparation of competent, caring, and qualified professional educators. Visit website.
TED - Teacher Education; Visit our teacher education page.
Title 22 - Colorado Statute creating and empowering the State Board of Education
Title 23 - Colorado Statute creating and empowering the Commission on Higher Education. See our web page or research at LexisNexis.
Transcript - an official report supplied by a school on the record of an individual student, listing subjects studied, grades received, etc. This document is important for new and transfer students to establish academic history and course completion.
Transfer Standard - see Admission Standard.
Tuition Classification - Tuition classification is the process by which an institution determines a person's residency status for purposes of charging in-state or out-of-state tuition.
Tuition Classification Officer - The individual designated at each campus that has authority for making tuition classification decisions. Also known as: “Registering Authority”
UAF - Undergraduate Applicant File; One the data files collected through the SURDS.
USDE - United States Department of Education; Visit ED.gov.
WICHE - Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, our website, visit their web site.
WRGP - Western Regional Graduate Program; The Western Regional Graduate Program makes high-quality, distinctive graduate programs available to students of the West at a reasonable cost. Read more.
WUE - Western Undergraduate Exchange Program, our website, Read more.
Window - Defined in Admission policy, "The maximum allowable percentage of admitted students
who are not required to meet the CCHE admission standards within a specific
fiscal year is referred to as the admissions window. Separate windows exist for
the freshmen and transfer standards. The allowable percentage is determined by
the Commission." The percentages vary by institution.
