海角社区

Accreditation 鈥� Confirmation that a university or academic program maintains a high level of academic standards. If the degree is preparing students for a specific profession, programmatic accreditation may also be required.听听听

Aggregate Borrowing Limit 鈥� The maximum amount of money an individual can owe from all federal student loans received, including undergraduate loans. If the total loan amount you receive over the course of your education reaches the aggregate loan limit, you are not eligible to receive additional loans.

Alternative Loan 鈥� These loans are nonfederal loans, made by a lender such as a bank, credit union, state agency, or a school.听听听

Annual Borrowing Limit 鈥� The highest amount that you can borrow from your Federal Direct Loan each academic year, as determined by the federal government. Your school’s Financial Aid office will determine your eligibility up to this annual borrowing limit.听听听

Assistantship 鈥� A type of gift aid that requires the recipient to perform research or teaching duties in exchange for funding (similar to work study). Most assistantships also cover some or all of the recipient’s university fees and university health insurance.听听听

Capstone Requirement 鈥� The final requirement that a master鈥檚 degree student must submit in order to demonstrate that they have acquired the knowledge and skills of the discipline as appropriate for a master鈥檚 degree holder. The capstone requirement will vary based on the field of study, however some examples are completing an internship, writing a thesis, compiling a portfolio, or creating a new body of artwork and hosting a formal exhibition.听

Commitment Deposit 鈥� See 鈥�Enrollment Deposit鈥�听听听

Cost of Attendance (COA) 鈥� The Cost of Attendance (COA) is the amount it will cost a student to go to school, and includes estimates for associated costs such as housing, transportation, and school supplies.听听听

Curriculum Vitae (CV) 鈥� The Curriculum Vitae describes in chronological order the path of one鈥檚 life including education, employment, awards/fellowships, experiences (for example international), publications. 听Unless an organization prescribes a specific page limit, there is no page limit. 听

Dependency Status 鈥� Graduate and professional students are considered “independent” for the purpose of the FAFSA. Independent students report their own tax information on the FAFSA (and, if married, their spouse’s tax information).听听听

Direct Unsubsidized Loan 鈥� A federal loan that graduate or professional students use to help pay for education expenses. This loan has a set annual borrowing limit, a fixed interest rate, and interest accrues throughout the life of the loan (including while the student is enrolled in school).听听听

Dissertation 鈥撎�This is the formal document demonstrating a doctoral student鈥檚 independent research or scholarship. It is constructed of multiple chapters and can be published as a book or articles in professional journals. Dissertations are presented to the public and defended before a committee of specialists in the field. The completion and successful defense of a dissertation marks the successful completion of a student鈥檚 doctoral degree.听听

The corresponding document on the master鈥檚 level is called a thesis. Due to the shorter time to complete a master鈥檚 Program, a thesis is normally shorter than a dissertation.听

Doctoral Degree 鈥� Doctoral degrees are conferred (awarded) to students who complete a research doctorate, leading to a PhD, or a professional doctorate, such as a Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Juris Doctor (JD).听听听听

Enrollment Deposit 鈥� A payment you make before starting your program, as a way to secure your spot. This payment is deducted from your bill for your first academic term, and in many cases it is non-refundable, even if you decide not to attend the university.听听听

Fellowship 鈥� A type of gift aid that requires the recipient to perform research or teaching duties in exchange for a financial award. Fellowships might require recipients to provide a product or service, but this varies based on the award. 听听听

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) 鈥� This is the application for federal student aid. You need to complete the FAFSA form to apply for federal student aid such as federal grants, work-study funds, and loans. 听听听

Gift Aid 鈥� A broad term for financial aid that does not have to be repaid, such as scholarships, grants, assistantships, and fellowships.听听听

Graduate Certificate 鈥� A specialized, credit-based graduate program comprised of graduate level coursework. These programs are usually 9-15 credit hours and can be earned after completing a bachelor鈥檚 degree. Upon completion of this type of program, the student earns a graduate certificate, not a graduate degree.

Grant 鈥� A grant is a monetary gift for people pursuing higher education. It is often based on financial need and does not need to be repaid (unless, for example, you withdraw from school and owe a refund).听听听

Letter of Intent 鈥� See “Personal Statement“听听听

Master鈥檚 Degree 鈥� This is a postgraduate degree pursued after a bachelor鈥檚 degree. It typically takes between one and three years to complete depending on the program and field of study, and often requires some research component resulting in a thesis or research project as a final requirement.听听听

Matriculation Deposit 鈥� See 鈥�Enrollment Deposit鈥�听听听

Non-Repayable Funds 鈥� See “Gift Aid“听听听

Personal Statement 鈥� An essential part of your application package that will give the admissions committee insight into who you are as a person beyond your transcripts and test scores. While they need work and attention, they often also provide an opportunity to explain challenges that a student encountered and that could explain why some lower course grades do not reflect the student’s intellectual capacity. 听 听听听

Practice-Based Degree 鈥� A degree that focuses primarily on the student gaining hands-on experience in their field, culminating in a final project (also called a 鈥�capstone鈥�) or internship tailored to the student鈥檚 focus area.听听听

Private Loan 鈥� See “Alternative Loan“听听听

Professional Degree 鈥� See “Practice-Based Degree“听听听

Research-Based Degree 鈥� A degree that focuses primarily on the student conducting their own research under the supervision of a mentor, culminating in a dissertation or thesis.听听听

Resume 鈥� A document that summarizes a person’s relevant education, work experience, and skills and that is composed in its listings specific to the organization to which it will be sent.听

Scholarship 鈥� Scholarships are gifts that don鈥檛 have to be repaid and are designed to help students pay for an undergraduate degree. They can be a one-time gift or are renewable, depending on the scholarship.听听听

Statement of Purpose 鈥� See “Personal Statement“听

Stipend 鈥� An amount of money paid to a student as part of their assistantship or fellowship. Stipends can be paid as one full amount at the start of the semester, or as smaller payments throughout the semester.听听听

Thesis 鈥� A thesis documents a student鈥檚 original research/scholarship in a master鈥檚 degree program. The completion and acceptance of a thesis marks the successful conclusion of a student鈥檚 master鈥檚 degree.听