glossary

FCPC Educational Glossary

The following glossary represents the official definition and interpretation of key words commonly encountered in Christian higher education, and as they are to be understood in connection with the certification processes of the CPCA. Revised 1/1/11

Ability to Benefit (ATB) Student: An institution may admit a mature student 30 years of age or having worked and supported themselves for 10 years or more that does not have a high school diploma. The ATB student may be enrolled on probation with administration approval for 4 courses or one semester of classes determined by the institution. When student passes probation classes at collegiate level the probation can be lifted and student officially enrolled in a degree program.

Abroad: Any geographic location not included in the aggregate United States.

Academic Program:  Instructional program of a professional or non-occupationally specific nature leading toward an associate, bachelor, master, doctor or first-professional degree or resulting in credits that can be applied to one of these degrees.

Academic Year:  The period of time generally extending from September to June; usually equated to two semesters or trimesters, three quarters, or the period covered by a 4-1-4 plan.

Accrediting Agencies: An accrediting agency establishes operating standards for educational or professional institutions and programs. That agency determines the extent to which the standards are met, and publicly announce their findings. There are two types: 1. United States Department of Education (USDE) approved accrediting agencies, and 2. private accrediting agencies that are not required to have USDE approval.

Adaptive Content: Digital instructional materials that adjust difficulty based on user responses.

Adjunct Instruction: Instruction which takes place at a geographic location in the aggregate United States designated and approved by the administration of parent institution.

Adjunct International Instruction: Instruction which takes place at a geographic location not included in the aggregate United States designated and approved by the administration of parent institution.

Administratively Equal Institution: Separately organized, or independently administered site or campus with its own full administration and records system within an institutional system.  This institution may report to a systems office but does not report to any other institution.

Admission Test Scores: Scores on standardized admissions tests or special admission tests.

Agent: means a person who is employed by a college that is subject to licensing requirements or an out-of-state college, and who solicits business for the college at any place other than the legal place of business of the college.  The term does not include an entertainer at public event whose objective is to improve public relations for a college, if the entertainer does not accept the commitment of prospective students to attend the college.

Associate Degree: An award that normally requires at least two but fewer than four years of full-time equivalent college work (Source: IPEDS).

Asynchronous: Communication that is separated by time such as email or online discussion forums; it may be accessed from multiple settings (on campus and/or out of institution buildings).

Bachelor Credit Freshman: A lower level undergraduate student enrolled in a university parallel/college transfer or baccalaureate degree program, generally one who has completed no more than thirty semester credit hours. Remedial students should be included if no separate category for remedial students is provided.

Bachelor Credit Sophomore: A lower undergraduate student enrolled in a university-parallel/college transfer or baccalaureate degree program, generally one who has completed more than thirty but no more than sixty semester credit hours.

Bachelor Degree: An award that normally requires at least four but not more than five years of full-time equivalent college-level work. This includes all bachelor degrees conferred in a five-year cooperative or work study plan or program. A cooperative plan provides for alternate class attendance and employment in business, industry, or government; thus, it allows the student to combine actual work experience with college studies. Also includes bachelor degrees in which the normal four years of work is completed in three years. (Source: IPEDS)

Blended Learning: Combines online learning with other modes of instructional delivery including onsite instruction; it involves a shift in delivery to an online or computer-based environment for at least a portion of the course with the goal of improving learning, staffing, and/or facilities productivity.

Board: Room and Board for Campus housing

Board Charges: The charge for an academic year for meals, for a specific number of days per week.

Branch Campus of an Out-of-State College: Means any operation in a state of an administratively equal Branch Campus of an Out-of-State college, university, seminary, or institute when such operation offers one or more degree programs that culminate in a degree being awarded in that state, and the Branch Campus operation has its own president with majority autonomy, administration, student services, library, faculty, and academic facilities.  The operation may also meet the following: 1. may or may not be incorporated as a domestic corporation in that state or 2. may or may not be accredited by a U.S.D.E. recognized accrediting agency, approved by that state.

Branch Operation: When referring to a college chartered in a state, means any location away from the main administrative campus in that state, at which location the college offers courses carrying college credit.

Census Date: A census date is a day when a specified count is made: In this application, it is the time during an academic term when a count of enrolled students is made for reporting. By definition, a census date must be arbitrary to some extent and must reflect the anticipated use of the statistics resulting from its application.

Center of an Out-of-State College: Any operation in any state by an out-of-state college or university whose articles of incorporation are not as a domestic corporation in that state, when such operation includes offering one or more courses or educational programs in that state which carry college credit that may be applied toward a degree, whether the degree itself is awarded in that state or elsewhere.

Certificate: A formal award certifying the satisfactory completion of a post secondary education program. (Source: IPEDS)

Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS): An award that normally requires 24 credit hours beyond a master’s program and does not require a dissertation. (IPEDS: Post Master’s certificate). The same institutional requirements may result in a specialist degree where a degree rather than a certificate is awarded. In the SCHEV integrated data base, students in certificate of advanced graduate study and specialist degree program are coded as having program levels of post-master.

Certificate of Exemption or License :means a document issued by an agency to an independent college, signifying that the college has demonstrated that it meets the statutorily prescribed criteria.

Certification Agencies: A certification agency that establishes operating standards for educational or professional institutions and programs. That agency determines the extent to which the standards are met, and publicly announces their findings. For faith based institutions that do not take government funds in the USA, excluding: 1. VA benefits in the USA and 2. Institutions with U.S.D.E. recognized accreditation.

Certification with the Council of Private Colleges of America, Inc.: includes quality peer review, certification visits, and verifying data, to CPCA standards for educational or professional institutions and programs which are similar to accreditation. For faith based institutions that do not take government funds in the USA, excluding: 1. VA benefits in the USA and 2. Institutions with U.S.D.E. recognized accreditation.

Chief Administrator: The principal administrative official responsible for the direction of all affairs and operations of a postsecondary educational institution or that component of an organization that conducts postsecondary education and may report to a governing board.

Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Code: Six-digit code that classifies 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. CIP was originally developed by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) in 1980, with revisions occurring in 1985 and 1990. The 2000 edition (CIP-2000) is the third revision of the taxonomy and presents an updated taxonomy of instructional program classifications and descriptions.http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/cip2000/.

Classification of Students:

Freshman – A student enrolled in first year of college study (1-30 semester credits).
Sophomore – A student enrolled in second year of college study (31-60 semester credits).
Junior – A student enrolled in third year of college study (61-90 credits).
Senior – A student enrolled in fourth year of college study (91-120 semester credits).
Master – A student enrolled in graduate courses(s) after receiving a bachelor degree working toward a master or specialist degree.
Doctor – A student enrolled in graduate course(s) after receiving a master or specialist degree working toward a doctor degree.
Unclassified – A special student enrolled taking courses for credit but not identified in one of the above classifications.

College: Any educational entity which confers or offers to confer a degree or which furnishes or offers to furnish instruction leading toward, or prerequisite to, college credit or a degree beyond the secondary level.  The term includes any independent college chartered in this state and any centre or branch campus of an out-of-state college.

Contact Hour: A unit of measure that represents an hour (50 minutes) of scheduled instruction given to students. In class contact hours with professor includes at an administration approved class session, live streaming, via Skype or similar live professor instruction.

Continuing Education Units (CEU’s): A statistic which represents ten contact hours of participation in an organized educational experience under responsible sponsorship, under capable direction, and qualified instruction. A decimal fraction of a unit may be awarded for an offering of shorter duration.

Correspondence: Method of instruction with students receiving structured units of information and accompanying material completely through the mail.

Council of Private Colleges of America: An agency which represents its private, faith based educational institutions before any individual, private or government educational organization. The CPCA is an educational association that provides experienced, educational, quality peer review of the following: faculty, academic curriculum, course development, web site, distance learning processes, campus operations, catalogs, brochures, advertisements, application forms, financial information, and student records and transcripts. CPCA requires affirmation of compliance with the academic excellence standards of the CPCA patterned after our early historical U.S educational institutions of higher learning. CPCA standards equal or exceed the minimum standards of many State Departments of Education. For faith based institutions that do not take government funds in the USA, excluding: 1. VA benefits in the USA and 2. Institutions with U.S.D.E. recognized accreditation.

Counseling Service: Activities designed to assist students in making plans and decisions related to their education, career, or personal development.

Credit: Recognition of attendance and/or performance in an instructional activity (course or program) that can be applied by a recipient to requirements for a degree, diploma, certificate, or other formal award at a given institution.

Credit Hour: A unit of measure that represents an hour of instruction (50 minutes) that can be applied to the total number of hours needed for completing the requirements of a degree, diploma, certificate, or other formal award. (Source: IPEDS).

Degree: An award conferred by a college, university, or other postsecondary educational institution as official recognition for the successful completion of a program of studies. (Source: IPEDS).  Any credential awarded which is generally taken to signify satisfactory completion of the requirements of an academic, educational, or professional program of study beyond the level of a specialized associate degree or any honorary credential conferred for meritorious recognition.

Digital Learning: Any type of learning that is facilitated by technology.

Distance Learning: Method of instruction designed for students who live at a distance from the teaching institution. Instructional materials are provided to the student through various modalities with structured units of information, assigned exercises for practice, and examinations to measure achievement, which in turn are submitted to the teaching institution for evaluation. The academic year for distance learning can be continuous throughout the calendar year.

Fair Consumer Practices: Means honesty, fairness, and complete disclosure to students in the areas of recruitment, admissions, student financial assistance, obligations to repay student loans, placement assistance and job placement rates, advertising, refund policies, the meaning and recognition of different types of accreditation, and the transferability and recognition of the college’s credits to other colleges or employers.

Faith Based Institution: An educational institution whose instruction is based on a Supreme Being that is the Creator of the universe that established doctrinal tenets in the Holy Bible which provides wisdom, understanding, and direction for our daily living with assurance of a life hereafter. As stated by Martin Luther the reformer, the “Sola Scriptura” principle for living.

Fifth-Year Undergraduate: A student in the fifth year of a five-year bachelor’s degree program.

First Professional Student: A student enrolled in any of the following degree programs:
Dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.); Medicine (M.D.); Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.); Law (L.L.B. or J.D.); Pharmacy (Pharm. D.); Theology (M.Div. or M.H.L. or B.D.)

First-Time Freshman: An entering freshman, including the following, who has never attended any college,:
1. A student enrolled in the fall term who is attending college for the first time in the fall term or who attended for the first time in the prior summer term.
2. A student who entered with advanced standing due to college credits earned before graduation from high school, regardless of the number of credits earned.
3. A remedial student enrolled for the first-time.

First-Year Graduate Student: A student enrolled in a master degree program, regardless of the number of graduate credit hours completed; or a doctoral, specialist, or certificate of advanced graduate study student who has not completed more than thirty credit hours of graduate studies.

Florida Council of Private Colleges: An agency which represents its private, faith based educational institutions before any individual, private or government educational organization. The FCPC is an educational association that provides its members with experienced, educational, quality peer review. FCPC requires affirmation of compliance with the academic excellence standards of the FCPC patterned after our early historical U.S educational institutions of higher learning. FCPC standards equal or exceed the minimum standards of the State of Florida and many State Departments of Education. For faith based institutions that do not take government funds in the Florida, excluding: 1. VA benefits in the USA and 2. Institutions with U.S.D.E. recognized accreditation.For verification of all FCPC standards go to www.fcpc-edu.org.

Four-One-Four Plan: The 4-1-4 calendar consists of 4 courses taken for four months, 1 course taken for one month, and 4 courses taken for four months.  There may be an additional summer session.

Freshman: An institutionally determined academic level typically based on the number of course credit hours a student has completed; the term generally indicates a student in the first year of a bachelor degree or occupational or technical program. Remedial students should be included if no separate category for remedial students is provided. In cases where first-time freshmen have earned sufficient credits before enrolment to be classified other than freshmen, guideline #2 of First-time freshman (see above) will prevail.

Full-Time Equivalent Day Students: The number of FTE students generated by classes with a beginning time between and including the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 5:59 p.m.

Full-time Equivalent Evening Students: The number of FTE students generated with a beginning time between and including the hours of 6:00 p.m. to 6:59 a.m.

Full-Time Equivalent Student (FTE): A statistic derived from the student-credit hour’s productivity of an institution. The number of FTE students in the fall term is obtained by dividing the total number of undergraduate, first professional, and graduate credit-hours per term by 15, 15, and 12 respectively. The number of FTE students in summer on-campus, annual off-campus, and regular session is obtained by dividing the total number of undergraduate, first professional, and graduate credit hours per session by 30, 30, and 24 respectively.

Full-time online institutions: Also called cyber or virtual institutions, work with students who are enrolled primarily (often only) in the online courses.

Full-Time Student: An undergraduate or first professional student enrolled for twelve or more credit hours in a semester or quarter, or a graduate student enrolled for nine or more credit hours in a semester or quarter. A semester credit hour is equivalent to 750 clock minutes of instruction; a quarter credit hours, to 500 clock minutes of instruction. The hours of instruction must be spread over no more than sixteen weeks.

General Education Or Liberal Arts Courses: Those courses designed to place emphasis on cognitive development rather than on vocational objective, and may include courses such as English, history, philosophy, literature, religion, art, music, sociology, foreign languages, humanities, mathematics, chemistry, biology, and psychology, when such courses are not specifically designed to contribute toward a non-academic program.  For example, English Composition is considered a general education or liberal arts course, but Business English is not.

Graduate Student: A student enrolled in a master certificate of advanced graduate study, specialist, or doctor program, not including candidates for first professional degrees. An unclassified student whose enrolment in classes at the graduate level constitutes more than half of course load is also considered a graduate student.

Headcount Student: A student enrolled for more than zero credit hours in courses offered for degree or certificate credit or a student who meets the criteria for classification as a remedial student.

Hearing Impaired: Any person whose hearing loss is sufficiently severe to adversely affect their educational performance.

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.

Home Study: Method of instruction designed for students who live at a distance from the teaching institution.  Instructional materials are provided to the student through various media with structured units of information, assigned exercises for practice, and examinations to measure achievement, which in turn are submitted to the teaching institution for evaluation. These courses are included in Distance Learning modalities.

Hybrid Learning: Often used synonymously with blended learning; typically refers to blending multiple modes of learning – combining online and on campus pedagogies and materials within the same class.

In-State Student: A student who is a legal resident of the state in which they attend school.

Institute: Any educational entity which confers or offers to confer a degree or which furnishes or offers to furnish instruction leading toward, or prerequisite to, academic credit or a degree beyond the secondary level.  The term includes any independent institute chartered in a specific state and any centre or branch campus of an out-of-state institute.

Institutional System: Two or more institutions of higher education under the control or supervision of a single administrative body.

Instructional Faculty: Members of the Instruction/Research Staff whose primary assignment is instruction including those with release time for research.
Learning Management System (LMS): Includes content management, communication tools, instructional tools, grade book and assessment features.

License: A regular license or temporary license, as provided by rule.

Local Educational Agency (LEA): A public board of education or other public authority legally constituted within a State for either administrative control of or direction of, or to perform service functions for, public elementary or secondary schools in, (1) a city, county, township, school district, or other political subdivision of a State; (2) such combination of school districts or counties a State recognizes as an administrative agency for its public elementary or secondary schools; (3) any other public institution or agency that has administrative control and direction of a public elementary or secondary school; and (4) any other public institution or agency that has administrative control and direction of a vocational education program.

Local Resident: A student who is a legal resident of the locality in which they attend school.

Master 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. (Source: IPEDS)

Military Installations: One or more buildings or sites owned or operated by the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard, including Reserves and National Guard.

Mobility Impaired: Any person who must use a standard manual or electric wheelchair or other assistive device to move from place to place or any person who otherwise finds stairs and other similar physical features impediments to movements.

Multi-institution System: An institution that has either: (1) two or more sites or campuses responsible to one administration which may or may not be located on one of the sites or campuses, or (2) a primary site or main campus with one or more branches attached to it.

Non-credit Courses: A course or activity having no credit applicable toward a formal award, certificate, or degree.

Non-Degree-Seeking Undergraduate Student: A student whose enrolment in undergraduate level courses for credit constitutes half or more of his/her course load and who is not recognized by the institution as accepted into a degree or formal award program that cannot be classified by academic level.

Occupational Technical Freshman: A lower level undergraduate student enrolled in a post-secondary certificate, diploma, or associate degree program which prepares for immediate employment, generally one who has completed no more than thirty semester credit hours. Remedial students should be included if no separate category for remedial students is provided.

Occupational Technical Program: A post-secondary certificate, diploma, or associate degree program which prepares for immediate employment.

Occupation Technical Sophomore: A lower level undergraduate student enrolled in a post-secondary certificate, diploma, or associate degree program which prepares for immediate employment, generally one who has completed more than thirty but no more than sixty semester credit hours.

Occupational Technical Student: A lower level undergraduate student enrolled in a post-secondary certificate, diploma, or associate degree program which prepares for immediate employment.

Off-Campus Branches: An Off-Campus Branch is any physical location which is geographically separate from the main campus and which has a director, coordinator, or facilitator and at which classes are offered.  They can be in the following three areas for purposes of this data collection:
a. In state Off-Campus Branches,
b. U.S.A. Off-Campus Branches (excluding home state),
c. International Off-Campus Branches (excluding U.S.A.).

Off-Campus Facility: A facility located some distance away from the educational institution which operates it.

Off-Campus Student: A student enrolled for more than zero credit hours of off-campus instruction who is not enrolled for any credit hours of on-campus instruction.

On-Campus Student: A student enrolled for more than zero credit hours of on-campus instruction. Include any student who is enrolled for both on and off-campus instruction.

Online Learning: Instruction via a web-based educational delivery system that includes software to provide a structured learning environment. It can be an instructor-led education that takes place over the Internet, with the teacher and student separated geographically (also cyber learning, e-learning, distance learning).

Open Education Resources (OER): Freely available instructional materials that can be redistributed.

Out-of State Student: A student who is not a legal resident of the State in which they attend school.

Parent Institution: The parent institution in a multi-institutional system is the main unit through which all the institutions, branches, and programs are linked as a unit.

Part-Time Student: An undergraduate or first professional student enrolled for fewer than twelve credit hours in a semester or quarter, or a graduate student enrolled for fewer than nine credit hours in a semester or quarter. A semester credit hour is equivalent to 750 clock minutes of instruction; a quarter credit hours, to 500 clock minutes of instruction. The hours of instruction must be spread over no more than sixteen weeks.

Placement Service For Program Completer: Assistance for students in evaluating their career alternatives as well as in obtaining full-time employment upon leaving the institution.

Post Baccalaureate Certificate: Requires completion of an organized program of study requiring 30 credit hours beyond the bachelor designed for persons who have completed a baccalaureate degree, but which does not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of master.

Post Master Certificate: Requires completion of an organized program of study of 60 credit hours or more beyond the master degree, but does not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctor level.

Post Secondary Certificate, Award or Diploma (less than one academic year): Requires the completion of a program that would be completed in less than one academic year (2 semesters or 3 quarters) or less than 900 contact hours by a student enrolled full-time.

Post Secondary Certificate, Award or Diploma I (at least one but less than two academic years): Requires completion of an organized program of study at the postsecondary level of instruction of at least one but less than two full-time equivalent academic years, or designed for completion in at least 30 but less than 60 credit hours, or in at least 900 but less than 1,800 contact hours.

Post Secondary Certificate, Award or Diploma II (at least two but less than four academic years): Requires completion of an organized program of study at the postsecondary level of instruction of at least two but less than four full-time equivalent academic years, or designed for completion in at least 60 but less than 120 credit hours, or in at least 1,800 but less than 3,600 contact hours.

Post Secondary Education: The provision of a formal instructional program whose curriculum is designed primarily for students who have completed the requirements for a high school diploma or its equivalent.  This includes programs whose purpose is academic, vocational, and continuing professional education, and excludes a vocational and adult basic education programs.

Predominant Calendar System: The method by which an institution structures most of its courses for the calendar year.

Private For-Profit Organization: An organization licensed to operate which is subject to the federal and state tax codes.

Private Non-Profit Organization:< A religious, educational, or benevolent organization authorized to operate in a state which is recognized as non-profit under the appropriate state and/or U.S. statutes. This status is normally determined by legal procedure and Internal Revenue policy.

Program: A combination of courses and related activities organized for the attainment of broad educational objectives described by the institution: (Source: IPEDS).

Program With No Formal Award: Any formally organized program with stated occupational objectives and well defined completion requirements that does not lead to a formal award.

Quarter Calendar System: An academic year consisting of 3 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.

Re-Admitted Student: Any student whose return to an institution requires action by an admission office.

Regular Session: On campus fall and spring terms.

Remedial Course Level: Course work in preparation for lower level courses. Remedial courses are limited to English Composition, Reading, Mathematics, and English as a Second Language. Although such courses are not usually offered for degree credit, the credit hours taken in remedial work may be considered as degree seeking for funding and reporting. Budgetary guidelines restrict these courses to HEGIS disciplines beginning with 15 and 17.

Remedial Student: A student who is enrolled only in remedial courses and who does not have any college credit that can be used to determine another student level.

Residence: A person’s permanent address as determined by such evidence as a driver license or voter registration.  For entering freshmen, residence may be legal residence of a parent or guardian.

Residency Requirements: Policies or laws requiring habitation in a particular place for a specified period of time.

Resident Alien: A person who is not a citizen or national of the United States and who has been lawfully admitted for permanent residence (and who holds alien registration receipt cards Form 1-551/155). (Source: IPEDS).

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 the charge is an exception. These are non-refundable.

Room Charges: The charge for an academic year for rooming accommodations of a typical student sharing a room with other students.

Seminary: Any educational entity which confers or offers to confer a degree or which furnishes or offers to furnish instruction leading toward, or prerequisite to, academic credit or a degree beyond the secondary level.  The term includes any independent seminary chartered in a specific state and any centre or branch campus of an out-of-state seminary.

Senior:An institutionally determined academic level typically based on the number of course credit hours a student has completed; the term generally indicates a student in the fourth year of a bachelor program.

Simultaneous-Enrolled: A student who is enrolled at two or more post-secondary institutions during the same term.

Single Institution: A post secondary institution that operates independently from other institutions.  The institution may offer instruction at more than one geographic site, but all administration and governance and record keeping are at one site.

Social Learning: Like Facebook etc., for institutions social learning platforms that provide a messaging and content sharing among students. Leading platforms manage privacy issues.

Sophomore: An institutionally determined academic level typically based on the number of course credit hours a student has completed; the term generally indicates a student in the second year of a bachelor degree or occupational or technical program.

Special Admissions Test: Tests prepared by or for a particular institution, or State (for State institutions) and administered by the institution, for purposes of determining prospective students’ skills and competencies.

Standardized Admissions Tests: Tests prepared and administered by an agency independent of any postsecondary education institution, for purposes of making available to prospective students, information about the student’s academic qualifications relative to a national sample.  Examples are the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Testing (ACT).

Supplemental Online Programs: Provide a small number of courses to students who are enrolled in on campus classes separate from the online program.

Synchronous: Communication in which participants interact in real time such as videoconferencing.

Test of English As A Foreign Language (TOEFL):  Standardized test designed to determine an applicant’s ability to benefit from  instruction in English.

Transfer Student: A student entering the institution for the first time but known to have previously, attended a post-secondary institution at the same level (e.g., undergraduate, graduate, first professional) (Source IPEDS). A student who was dual-enrolled at a college or university while still enrolled in high school should not be coded as a transfer student, but as a first-time freshman. See First-Time Freshman #2.

Trimester: 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. Refund policy applicable.

Tuition, Full Time Financial Tuition Equivalent For Out of Country Student Headcount:  For example: US tuition is $30.00 per credit hour, therefore, one 3 Semester Credit Course would cost $90.00 US. Foreign currency equivalent being charged to student equals $10.00 US per credit hour, therefore, one 3 Semester Credit Course would cost $30.00 US. Therefore, it would take 3 out of country students taking a 3 semester courses to equal one US student taking a 3 Semester Credit course at $90.00 US for headcount. This equivalency formula can be used for various, countries, currencies, per term, per course, or per credit applicable at the time annual reporting is due. Tuition may be charged per term, per course, or per credit. Refund policy applicable.

Undergraduate Student: A student enrolled in a university parallel/college transfer program, a four or-five-year bachelor’s degree program, an associate degree program, or an occupational or technical program that is normally terminal and would normally result in formal recognition at or below the baccalaureate level. Other degree-seeking and non-degree seeking students whose enrolment in classes at the baccalaureate level constitutes more than half of their course load are also considered undergraduates. A remedial student should also be considered an undergraduate.

University: Any educational entity which confers or offers to confer a degree or which furnishes or offers to furnish instruction leading toward, or prerequisite to, academic credit or a degree beyond the secondary level.  The term includes any independent university chartered in a specific state and any centre or branch campus of an out-of-state university.

University Without Walls/Open University: Educational institutions with open admissions policies that have no campus residence requirements and often use multiple modalities of delivery systems (web online, Skype, etc.). These institutions use 100% Distance Learning modalities for instruction.

Upper Division: Courses that are part of a baccalaureate program, designed to be taken by junior, senior, or fifth-year undergraduate students.

Virtual Classroom: Place for professors and students to interact and collaborate in real time (synchronously). Using web cams, chat boxes and class discussion features, it resembles the on campus classes, except all participants are accessing it remotely over the Internet.

Visually Impaired: Any person whose sight loss is sufficiently severe to adversely affect educational performance.