INSTITUTIONAL
RESEARCH
@ WILLIAMS COLLEGE
1998-99
Common Data Set
CDS
Definitions
Note:
Items preceded by an asterisk (*) represent definitions agreed to among
publishers which do not appear on the CDS document but may be present on
individual publishers' surveys.
*Academic
advisement: plan under which each student is assigned to a faculty
member or a trained adviser, who, through regular meetings, helps the student
plan and implement immediate and long-term academic and vocational goals.
Accelerated
program: Completion of a college program of study in fewer than the
usual number of years, most often by attending summer sessions and carrying
extra courses during the regular academic term.
Admitted
student: Applicant who is offered admission to a degree-granting program
at your institution.
*Adult
student services: admission assistance, support, orientation, and other
services expressly for adults who have started college for the first time,
or who are re-entering after a lapse of a few years.
American
Indian or Alaska native: A person having origins in any of the original
peoples of North America and who maintains cultural identification through
tribal affiliation or community recognition.
Applicant
(first-time, first year): An individual who has fulfilled the institution's
requirements to be considered for admission (including payment or waiving
of the application fee, if any) and who has been notified of one of the
following actions: admission, nonadmission, placement on waiting list,
or application withdrawn (by applicant or institution).
Application
fee: That amount of money that an institution charges for processing
a student's application for acceptance. This amount is not creditable toward
tuition and required fees, nor is it refundable if the student is not admitted
to the institution.
Asian
or Pacific Islander: A person having origins in any of the original
peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, or Pacific
Islands. This includes people from China, Japan, Korea, the Philippine
Islands, American Samoa, India, and Vietnam.
Associate's
degree: An award that normally requires at least two but less than
four years of full-time equivalent college work.
Bachelor's
degree: An award (baccalaureate or equivalent degree, as determined
by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education) that normally requires
at least four years but not more than five years of full-time equivalent
college-level work. This includes ALL bachelor's degrees conferred in a
five-year cooperative (work-study plan) program. A cooperative plan provides
for alternate class attendance and employment in business, industry, or
government; thus, it allows students to combine actual work experience
with their college studies. Also, it includes bachelor's degrees in which
the normal four years of work are completed in three years.
Black,
non-Hispanic: A person having origins in any of the black racial groups
of Africa (except those of Hispanic origin).
Board
(charges): Assume average cost for 19 meals per week or the maximum
meal plan.
Books
and supplies (costs): Average cost of books and supplies. Do not include
unusual costs for special groups of students (e.g., engineering or art
majors), unless they constitute the majority of students at your institution.
Calendar
system: The method by which an institution structures most of its courses
for the academic year.
*Career
and placement services: A range of services, including (often) the
following: coordination of visits of employers to campus; aptitude and
vocational testing; interest inventories, personal counseling; help in
resume writing, interviewing, launching the job search; listings for those
students desiring employment and those seeking permanent positions; establishment
of a permanent reference folder; career resource materials.
Carnegie
units: One year of study or the equivalent in a secondary school subject.
Certificate:
See Postsecondary award, certificate, or diploma.
Class rank: The relative numerical position of a student in his
or her graduating class, calculated by the high school on the basis of
grade-point average, whether weighted or unweighted.
College
preparatory program: Courses in academic subjects (English, history
and social studies, foreign languages, mathematics, science, and the arts)
that stress preparation for college or university study.
Common
Application: The standard application form distributed by the National
Association of Secondary School Principals for a large number of private
colleges who are members of the Common Application Group.
*Community
service program: Referral center for students wishing to perform volunteer
work in the community or participate in volunteer activities coordinated
by academic departments.
Commuter:
A student who lives off campus in housing that is not owned by, operated
by, or affiliated with the college. This category includes students who
commute from home and students who have moved to the area to attend college.
Contact
hour: A unit of measure that represents an hour of scheduled instruction
given to students. Also referred to as clock hour.
Continuous
basis (for program enrollment): A calendar system classification that
is used by institutions that enroll students at any time during the academic
year. For example, a cosmetology school or a word processing school might
allow students to enroll and begin studies at various times, with no requirement
that classes begin on a certain date.
Cooperative
(work-study plan) program: A program that provides for alternate class
attendance and employment in business, industry, or government.
Cooperative
housing: College-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing in which
students share room and board expenses and participate in household chores
to reduce living expenses.
Core curriculum:
A specified number of courses or credits in the humanities, social
sciences, life sciences, and/or physical sciences required of all students,
regardless of major, to ensure a basic set of learning experiences.
*Counseling
service: Activities designed to assist students in making plans and
decisions related to their education, career, or personal development.
Credit:
Recognition of attendance or performance in an instructional activity
(course or program) that can be applied by a recipient toward the requirements
for a degree, diploma, certificate, or other formal award.
Credit
course: A course that, if successfully completed, can be applied toward
the number of courses required for achieving a degree, diploma, certificate,
or other formal award.
Credit
hour: A unit of measure representing an hour (50 minutes) of instruction
over a 15-week period in a semester or trimester system or a 10-week period
in a quarter system. It is applied toward the total number of hours needed
for completing the requirements of a degree, diploma, certificate, or other
formal award.
Cross-registration:
A system whereby students enrolled at one institution may take courses
at another institution without having to apply to the second institution.
Deferred
admission: The practice of permitting admitted students to postpone
enrollment, usually for a period of one academic term or one year.
Degree:
An award conferred by a college, university, or other postsecondary
education institution as official recognition for the successful completion
of a program of studies.
Degree-seeking
students: Students enrolled in courses for credit who are recognized
by the institution as seeking a degree or formal award. At the undergraduate
level, this is intended to include students enrolled in vocational or occupational
programs.
Differs
by program (calendar system): A calendar system classification that
is used by institutions that have occupational/vocational programs of varying
length. These schools may enroll students at specific times depending on
the program desired. For example, a school might offer a two-month program
in January, March, May, September, and November; and a three-month program
in January, April, and October.
Diploma:
See Postsecondary award, certificate, or diploma.
Distance
learning: An option for earning course credit at off-campus locations
via cable television, internet, satellite classes, videotapes, correspondence
courses, or other means.
Doctoral
degree: The highest award a student can earn for graduate study. The
doctoral degree classification includes such degrees as Doctor of Education,
Doctor of Juridical Science, Doctor of Public Health, and the Doctor of
Philosophy degree in any field such as agronomy, food technology, education,
engineering, public administration, ophthalmology, or radiology. For the
Doctor of Public Health degree, the prior degree is generally earned in
the closely related field of medicine or in sanitary engineering.
Double
major: Program in which students may complete two undergraduate programs
of study simultaneously.
Dual enrollment:
A program through which high school students may enroll in college courses
while still enrolled in high school. Students are not required to apply
for admission to the college in order to participate.
Early
action plan: An admission plan that allows students to apply and be
notified of an admission decision well in advance of the regular notification
dates. If admitted, the candidate is not committed to enroll; the student
may reply to the offer under the college's regular reply policy.
Early
admission: A policy under which students who have not completed high
school are admitted and enroll full time in college, usually after completion
of their junior year.
Early
decision plan: A plan that permits students to apply and be notified
of an admission decision (and financial aid offer if applicable) well in
advance of the regular notification date. Applicants agree to accept an
offer of admission and, if admitted, to withdraw their applications from
other colleges. There are three possible decisions for early decision applicants:
admitted, denied, or not admitted but forwarded for consideration with
the regular applicant pool, without prejudice.
English
as a Second Language (ESL): A course of study designed specifically
for students whose native language is not English.
Exchange
student program-domestic: Any arrangement between a student and a college
that permits study for a semester or more at another college in the United
States without extending the amount of time required for a degree. See
also Study abroad.
External
degree program: A program of study in which students earn credits toward
a degree through independent study, college courses, proficiency examinations,
and personal experience. External degree programs require minimal or no
classroom attendance.
Extracurricular
activities (as admission factor): Special consideration in the admissions
process given for participation in both school and nonschool-related activities
of interest to the college, such as clubs, hobbies, student government,
athletics, performing arts, etc.
First
professional certificate (postdegree): An award that requires completion
of an organized program of study designed for persons who have completed
the first professional degree. Examples could be refresher courses or additional
units of study in a specialty or subspecialty.
First
professional degree: An award in one of the following fields: Chiropractic
(DC, DCM), dentistry (DDS, DMD), medicine (MD), optometry (OD), osteopathic
medicine (DO), rabbinical and Talmudic studies (MHL, Rav), Pharmacy (B.Pharm,
Pharm.D), podiatry (PodD, DP, DPM), veterinary medicine (DVM), law (LLB,
JD), divinity/ministry (BD, MDiv).
First-time
student: A student attending any institution for the first time at
the level enrolled. Includes students enrolled in the fall term who attended
a postsecondary institution for the first time at the same level in the
prior summer term. Also includes students who entered with advanced standing
(college credit earned before graduation from high school).
First-time,
first-year (freshman) student: A student attending any institution
for the first time at the undergraduate level. 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).
First-year
student: A student who has completed less than the equivalent of 1
full year of undergraduate work; that is, less than 30 semester hours (in
a 120-hour degree program) or less than 900 contact hours.
Freshman:
A first-year undergraduate student.
*Freshman/new
student orientation: Orientation addressing the academic, social, emotional,
and intellectual issues involved in beginning college. May be a few hours
or a few days in length; at some colleges, there is a fee.
Full-time
student (undergraduate): A student enrolled for 12 or more semester
credits, 12 or more quarter credits, or 24 or more contact hours a week
each term.
Geographical
residence (as admission factor): Special consideration in the admission
process given to students from a particular region, state, or country of
residence.
Grade-point
average (academic high school GPA): The sum of grade points a student
has earned in secondary school divided by the number of courses taken.
The most common system of assigning numbers to grades counts four points
for an A, three points for a B, two points for a C, one point for a D,
and no points for an E or F. Unweighted GPA's assign the same weight to
each course. Weighting gives students additional points for their grades
in advanced or honors courses.
Graduate
student: A student who holds a bachelor's or first professional degree,
or equivalent, and is taking courses at the post-baccalaureate level.
*Health
services: Free or low cost on-campus primary and preventive health
care available to students.
High school
diploma or recognized equivalent: A document certifying the successful
completion of a prescribed secondary school program of studies, or the
attainment of satisfactory scores on the Tests of General Educational Development
(GED) or another state-specified examination.
Hispanic:
A person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or
other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.
Honors
program: Any special program for very able students offering the opportunity
for educational enrichment, independent study, acceleration, or some combination
of these.
Independent
study: Academic work chosen or designed by the student with the approval
of the department concerned, under an instructor's supervision, and usually
undertaken outside of the regular classroom structure.
In-state
tuition: The tuition charged by institutions to those students who
meet the state's or institution's residency requirements.
International
student: See Nonresident alien.
Internship:
Any short-term, supervised work experience usually related to a student's
major field, for which the student earns academic credit. The work can
be full or part time, on- or off-campus, paid or unpaid.
*Learning
center: Center offering assistance through tutors, workshops, computer
programs, or audiovisual equipment in reading, writing, math, and skills
such as taking notes, managing time, taking tests.
*Legal
services: Free or low cost legal advice for a range of issues (personal
and other).
Liberal
arts/career combination: Program in which a student earns undergraduate
degrees in two separate fields, one in a liberal arts major and the other
in a professional or specialized major, whether on-campus or through cross-registration.
Master's
degree: An award that requires the successful completion of a program
of study of at least the full-time equivalent of one but not more than
two academic years of work beyond the bachelor's degree.
Minority
affiliation (as admission factor): Special consideration in the admission
process for members of designated racial/ethnic minority groups.
*Minority
student center: Center with programs, activities, and/or services intended
to enhance the college experience of students of color.
Nonresident
alien: A person who is not a citizen or national of the United States
and who is in this country on a visa or temporary basis and does not have
the right to remain indefinitely.
*On-campus
day care: Licensed day care for children of students (usually 3 and
up); usually for a fee.
Open admission:
Admission policy under which virtually all secondary school graduates
or students with GED equivalency diplomas are admitted without regard to
academic record, test scores, or other qualifications.
Other
expenses (costs): Include average costs for clothing, laundry, entertainment,
medical (if not a required fee), and furnishings.
Out-of-state
tuition: The tuition charged by institutions to those students who
do not meet the institution's or state's residency requirements.
Part-time
student (undergraduate): A student enrolled for fewer than 12 credits
per semester or quarter, or fewer than 24 contact hours a week each term.
*Personal
counseling: One-on-one or group counseling with trained professionals
for student who want to explore personal, educational, or vocational issues.
Post-master's
certificate: An award that requires completion of an organized program
of study of 24 credit hours beyond the master's degree but does not meet
the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.
Post-baccalaureate
certificate: An award that requires completion of an organized program
of study requiring 18 credit hours beyond the bachelor's; designed for
persons who have completed a baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements
of academic degrees carrying title of master.
Postsecondary
award, certificate, or diploma (at least one but less than two academic
years): Requires completion of an organized program of study at the
postsecondary level (below the baccalaureate degree) in at least one but
less than two full-time equivalent academic years, or designed for completion
in at least 30 but fewer than 60 credit hours, or in at least 900 but fewer
than 1,800 contact hours.
Private
institution: An educational institution controlled by a private individual(s)
or by a nongovernmental agency, usually supported primarily by other than
public funds, and operated by other than publicly elected or appointed
officials.
Private
for-profit institution: A private institution in which the individual(s)
or agency in control receives compensation, other than wages, rent, or
other expenses for the assumption of risk.
Private
nonprofit institution: A private institution in which the individual(s)
or agency in control receives no compensation, other than wages, rent,
or other expenses for the assumption of risk. These include both independent
nonprofit schools and those affiliated with a religious organization.
Proprietary
institution: See Private for-profit institution.
Public
institution: An educational institution whose programs and activities
are operated by publicly elected or appointed school officials, and which
is supported primarily by public funds.
Quarter
calendar system: A calendar system in which the academic year consists
of three sessions called quarters of about 12 weeks each. The range may
be from 10 to 15 weeks. There may be an additional quarter in the summer.
Race/ethnicity:
Category used to describe groups to which individuals belong, identify
with, or belong in the eyes of the community. The categories do not denote
scientific definitions of anthropological origins. A person may be counted
in only one group.
Race/ethnicity
unknown: Category used to classify students or employees whose race/ethnicity
is not known and whom institutions are unable to place in one of the specified
racial/ethnic category.
Religious
affiliation/commitment (as admission factor): Affiliation with a certain
church or faith/religion, commitment to a religious vocation, or observance
of certain religious tenets/lifestyle.
*Religious
counseling: One-on-one or group counseling with trained professionals
for student who want to religious problems or issues.
*Remedial
services: Instructional courses designed for students deficient in
the general competencies necessary for a regular postsecondary curriculum
and educational setting.
Required
fees: Fixed sum charged to students for items not covered by tuition
and required of such a large proportion of all students that the student
who does NOT pay is the exception. Do not include application fees or optional
fees such as lab fees or parking fees.
Resident
alien or other eligible noncitizen: A person who is not a citizen or
national of the United States and who has been admitted as a legal immigrant
for the purpose of obtaining permanent resident alien status (and who holds
either an alien registration card [Form I-551 or I-151], a Temporary Resident
Card [Form I-688], or an Arrival-Departure Record [Form I-94] with a notation
that conveys legal immigrant status, such as Section 207 Refugee, Section
208 Asylee, Conditional Entrant Parolee or Cuban-Haitian).
Room and
board (charges)-on campus: Assume double occupancy in institutional
housing and 19 meals per week (or maximum meal plan).
Secondary
school record (as admission factor): Information maintained by the
secondary school that may include such things as the student's high school
transcript, class rank, GPA, and teacher and counselor recommendations.
Semester
calendar system: A calendar system that consists of two semesters during
the academic year with about 16 weeks for each semester of instruction.
There may be an additional summer session.
Student-designed
major: A program of study based on individual interests, designed with
the assistance of an adviser.
Study
abroad: Any arrangement by which a student completes part of the college
program studying in another county. Can be at a campus abroad or through
a cooperative agreement with some other U.S. college or an institution
of another country.
*Summer
session: A summer session is shorter than a regular semester and not
considered part of the academic year. It is not the third term of an institution
operating on a trimester system or the fourth term of an institution operating
on a quarter calendar system. The institution may have 2 or more sessions
occurring in the summer months. Some schools, such as vocational and beauty
schools, have year-round classes with no separate summer session.
Talent/ability
(as admission factor): Special consideration given to students with
demonstrated talent/abilities in areas of interest to the institution (e.g.,
sports, the arts, languages, etc.).
Teacher
certification program: Program designed to prepare students to meet
the requirements for certification as teachers in elementary and secondary
schools.
Transfer
applicant: An individual who has fulfilled the institution's requirements
to be considered for admission (including payment or waiving of the application
fee, if any) and who has previously attended another college or university
and earned college-level credit.
Transfer
student: A student entering the institution for the first time but
known to have previously attended a postsecondary institution at the same
level (e.g., undergraduate). The student may transfer with or without credit.
Transportation
(costs): Assume two round trips to student's hometown per year for
students in institutional housing or daily travel to and from your institution
for commuter students.
Trimester
calendar system: An academic year consisting of 3 terms of about 15
weeks each.
Tuition:
Amount of money charged to students for instructional services. Tuition
may be charged per term, per course, or per credit.
*Tutoring:
May range from one-on-one tutoring in specific subjects to tutoring
in an area such as math, reading, or writing. Most tutors are college students;
at some colleges, they are specially trained and certified.
Unit:
a standard of measurement representing hours of academic instruction (e.g.,
semester credit, quarter credit, contact hour).
Undergraduate:
A student enrolled in a four- or five-year bachelor's degree program,
an associate's degree program, or a vocational or technical program below
the baccalaureate.
*Veteran's
counseling: Helps veterans and their dependents obtain benefits for
their selected program and provides certifications to the Veteran's Administration.
May also provide personal counseling on the transition from the military
to a civilian life.
*Visually
impaired: Any person whose sight loss is not correctable and is sufficiently
severe as to adversely affect educational performance.
Volunteer
work (as admission factor): Special consideration given to students
for activity done on a volunteer basis (e.g., tutoring, hospital care,
working with the elderly or disabled) as a service to the community or
the public in general.
Wait list:
List of students who meet the admission requirements but will only
be offered a place in the class if space becomes available.
Weekend
college: A program that allows students to take a complete course of
study and attend classes only on weekends.
White,
non-Hispanic: A person having origins in any of the original peoples
of Europe, North Africa, or the Middle East (except those of Hispanic origin).
*Women's
center: Center with programs, academic activities, and/or services
intended to promote an understanding of the evolving roles of women.
Work experience
(as admission factor): Special consideration given to students who
have been employed prior to application, whether for relevance to major,
demonstration of employment-related skills, or as explanation of student's
academic and extracurricular record.
Common
Data Set Financial Aid Definitions
Financial
aid applicant: Any applicant who submits any one of the institutionally
required financial aid applications/forms, such as the FAFSA.
Indebtedness:
Aggregate dollar amount borrowed by the student.
Institutional
and external funds: Endowment, alumni, or external monies for which
the institution determines the recipient and the dollar amount awarded.
Financial
need: As determined by your institution using the federal methodology
and/or your institution's own standards.
Need-based
aid: College-funded or college-administered award from institutional,
state, federal, or other sources for which a student must have financial
need to qualify. This includes both institutional and noninstitutional
student aid (grants, jobs, and loans).
Need-based
gift aid: Scholarships and grants from institutional, state, federal
or other sources for which a student must have financial need to qualify.
Non-need-based
gift aid: Scholarships and grants, gifts, or merit-based aid from institutional,
state, federal, or other sources (including unrestricted funds or gifts
and endowment income) awarded solely on the basis of academic achievement,
merit, or any other non-need-based reason. When reporting questions H1
and H2, non-need-based aid that is used to meet need should be counted
as need-based aid.
Note:
Suggested order of precedence for counting non-need money as need-based:
Non-need
institutional grants
Non-need tuition waivers
Non-need athletic awards
Non-need federal grants
Non-need state grants
Non-need outside grants
Non-need student loans
Non-need parent loans
Non-need work
Scholarships/grants
from external sources: Monies received from outside (private) sources
that the student brings with them (e.g., Kiwanis, NMSQT scholarships).
The institution may process paperwork to receive the dollars, but it has
no role in determining the recipient or the dollar amount awarded.
Self-help
aid: Need-based loans and jobs up to the level of institutionally determined
need.
Work study
and employment: Federal and state work study aid, and any employment
packaged by your institution in financial aid awards.
Contact Richard
Myers
Provost
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