Glossary of College Related Terms

Academic Advisor:  faculty member who assists student with development of a degree (academic) plan

Associate’s Degree:  A two-year degree, usually 60-65 credit hours, from a community or junior college  (GHC offers Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, and Associate of Applied Science degrees)

Audit:  To attend a class without receiving credit for the class; however, associated tuition must still be paid

Catalog: comprehensive guide and “contract” with GHC.  Click here  for most recent version of GHC Catalog

Course Numbers (CRNs):  Numbers assigned to specific classes; used for registration

Credit Hour:  credit given for attending one lecture hour of class each week for 15 weeks or equivalent.  Most college classes are 3 credit hours. 

Degree (Academic) Plan:  A specific list of required courses and electives to be completed for a degree

Drop/Add:  The procedure whereby a student may change his/her class schedule, after initial registration, by dropping or adding a course without academic penalty.   Typically, drop/add occurs during the first three days of each semester

FAFSA (Federal Application for Student Aid):  a form that the government uses to determine the amount of money a person is eligible to receive.  Form must be completed yearly. 

Full time:  Twelve or more credit hours per semester

General Education (“Core”):  Introductory courses that provide students with general knowledge and reasoning ability rather than specific skills for employment or specialized knowledge for a program of study.   The “Core” is Areas A through E of degree (academic) plan. 

Grade Point Average (GPA): 

Grants:  form of Financial Aid that does not require repayment

Holds:  restriction placed on student’s record for a variety of reasons –academic, financial aid, business office, library, etc.  To be removed, the obligation must be met. 

Loans:  form of Financial Aid that does require repayment

Nonresident:  A student who does not live in the state of Georgia or does not meet specific state residency requirements

Online Courses:  courses taught over the Internet instead of in a traditional classroom

Prerequisite: A course(s) that must be taken before enrollment in another course

Program of Study (Major):  A student’s concentrated field of study

Registration:  procedure where student indicates the classes into which he/she wishes to enroll for the next term of attendance.  At GHC, students can register via the Internet or with the assistance of any secretary. 

Resident:  A student who has lived in Georgia for at least one full year or meets specific state residency requirements.

Schedule Bulletin: newsprint published for each semester and includes course offerings information (when, where), important dates, and registration procedures

Scholarships:  form of Financial Aid based on merit, not need and does not require repayment

Service Learning: Service Learning is an approach to learning (i.e., classroom learning) that is often complemented by experiential learning (i.e., volunteering, immersion programs).

Syllabus:  written description of course content distributed to students by instructors

Transcript:  Permanent record of a student’s college grades as well as any scores from SAT or GRE tests.  

Tuition and fees:  costs for courses, including lab fees, student activity fees, parking fee, etc.  It does not include cost of textbooks. 

Wipeout:  process conducted at end of registration period(s) to remove students who have not paid the appropriate tuition and fees. 

Withdrawal:  procedure by which a student may drop (no longer attend) a class at any time prior to midterm.  You will lose the money you have paid for the course. 

Work-study program:  federal form of Financial Aid that allows students to work on campus