| TERM | DEFINITION |
|---|
| 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ | Federal tax forms needed to complete FAFSA |
| A-Term | Accelerated courses, usually 8 weeks (4 during summer) in which classes meet more frequently or for a longer period each class session. |
| Academic Action | A process that indicates a student’s academic standing on his or her transcript. (i.e. if a student is placed on or removed from probation, 1 semester suspension or 1 year suspension.) Students cannot be placed on probation or be suspended based on courses taken during a summer term. However, courses taken during a summer term can result in students being removed from probation or suspension. |
| Academic Appeal | Process to request readmission to school after suspension from LSUA. Must also complete Financial Aid Appeal form if receiving financial aid. |
| Academic Bankruptcy | Declared by a student who was not successful in college, or has been out of school for at least five years and is re-entering college. This requires the student to retake all courses previously taken. |
| Academic Probation | Warning status for students whose GPA drops below a certain level |
| Academic Suspension | Status where student must sit out of school for either one semester or one year. Students placed on suspension by LSUA may complete an academic appeal for consideration of continuance in school. |
| Accepting Financial Aid | Process of electronically signing agreement of conditions for Financial Aid. This process also authorizes LSUA to apply financial aid to your student account through IQWeb and must be done each semester (Fall, Spring and Summer) |
| Accredited University | A college or university that has earned accreditation status from an agency that is authorized to grant that status. LSUA is accredited by SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools). LSUA accepts credit for transfer from regionally accredited schools |
| ACG | Grant |
| ACT | American College Test – can be taken multiple times. This test is offered nationally several times a year and is also offered on campus as a residual test just before each semester starts. LSUA’s ACT Code is 1589. |
| Admission standards | the set of requirements an applicant must meet to be admitted to the university. |
| Advanced Standing | Credit that is assigned to a student’s transcript for achieving target test scores. |
| Advisor | Either professional staff or faculty member assigned to guide student in selecting classes appropriate for their degree. |
| AGI | Adjusted Gross Income – from W-2 form. Used to calculate eligibility for financial assistance |
| AOR | Advisor of Record – advisor assigned to the student based on entry status, curriculum and degree combination. |
| Associate Degree | Typically a two year degree earned through a college or university. |
| Audit | To take a course without earning credit for the course. All tuition and fees apply to audit courses. |
| Award Letter | Statement of financial aid student is eligible to receive. Letter must be ‘accepted’ online through IQWeb by initialing all criteria and submitting the page. |
| AY | Academic Year. Academic Year runs from Fall, Spring, and Summer |
| B-Term | Condensed time courses usually 8 weeks (4 during summer) where classes meet more frequently or for a longer period each class session |
| Bachelor Degree | Typically a four year degree earned through a college or university |
| BCM | Baptist Collegiate Ministry |
| Blocks | That part of the education program where students are taking particular groups of courses in a given semester |
| Catalog | The document that describes LSUA admission requirements, university regulations, and degree programs. The catalog also lists current courses and descriptions |
| CLEP | College Level Examination Program – program that offers the opportunity for students to obtain college-level credit based on score on subject examinations. Call Testing Services at 427-4492 |
| Clinical | that part of an Allied Health or Nursing program conducted in hospitals or medical facilities under supervision of an instructor. |
| COA | Cost of Attendance - Every university calculates the total cost for attendance which includes tuition, fees, books, transportation, room and board. This total cost will vary by university and by housing choice |
| Conditional Admission | High school students who apply to LSUA but have not completed High School may be conditionally admitted pending receipt of final high school transcripts. These students have sufficient ACT scores and are on track to complete the Regent’s core curriculum but LSUA has not received a final high school transcript indicating graduation date, GPA and class rank |
| Consolidation | The replacement of multiple loans with a single loan, often with a lower monthly payment and a longer repayment period. Also called consolidation loan |
| Continuing Education | The department that offers courses that do not count for credit on a transcript. Courses may include personal enrichment, professional development, or specific business and industry training. |
| Core Curriculum | Specific list of high school courses required for eligibility to a four year university in Louisiana. Also known as TOPS core or Regents Core |
| Course Equivalency | When a course at one college or university has been evaluated as equal to a course at LSUA. These courses will be applied toward degree credit |
| Course Substitution | When a course is approved for use toward a degree but was not originally on the degree sheet. These must be approved at the department and academic affairs level |
| Credit | Recognition by a school or college that a student has fulfilled a requirement leading to a degree |
| Credit Hour | The unit of measuring educational credit usually based on the number of classroom hours per week throughout a term. Most credit classes are 3 credit hours although classes can range from 1 – 6 credit hours |
| CSO | Catholic Student Organization |
| Curriculum | The specific courses required for a degree |
| Defaulted loans | Loans made by students who have stopped attending school but are not paying the loans back to the lender |
| Deferment | Payment arrangement made with the Vice Chancellor for Business Affairs to postpone payment due dates until an agreed upon schedule |
| Degree sheet (or Degree Check-out Sheet) | The list of courses required to complete a degree |
| Dependent student | Student who is under 24, not married, has no children. Must use parent’s income in completing their FAFSA |
| Desire2Learn (D2L) | Software used by faculty to place course materials online. Use is at the discretion of the faculty member. Materials may include announcements, syllabus, lecture notes, discussion questions and gradebook items. Access D2L by logging into my.LSUA at http://my.lsua.edu |
| Developmental Course | A course designed to help students gain skills needed to be successful in entry level college courses. These courses do not count toward a degree. LSUA developmental course numbers start with 00 (i.e. Math 0092). Developmental courses are required if the student has ACT scores below certain levels. See the LSUA catalog for current requirements. Also called Remedial course. |
| Drop | To remove a course from a student schedule on or before census day each semester. (14th class day of Fall or Spring, 7th class day of Summer) These courses do not show on the student’s transcript |
| Dual Enrollment | A program that allows courses to be transcripted at both the high school and college level simultaneously |
| Early Admission | Admission status for students who are still in high school. Requires permission from the high school and from parents of the student |
| EFC | Expected Family Contribution – Calculated from the FAFSA. Families can get estimate at http://apps.collegeboard.com/fincalc/efc_welcome.jsp |
| EFT | Electronic Funds Transfer |
| EIC | Earned Income Credit – from Tax form 1040, 1040A or 1040 EZ |
| ERC | Electronic Resource Center – computer lab on campus that has staff to assist students |
| Evaluation | the process of reviewing transcripts from previous institutions to determine course titles for the LSUA transcript |
| Faculty | The teachers of classes. Depending on rank, faculty members may be instructors, assistant professors, associate professors or professors |
| FAFSA | Free Application for Federal Student Aid – must be completed online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov . Information takes three to ten weeks for information to get to LSUA. LSUA institution number is 002011 |
| Fall Term | School session that runs from August – December |
| FERPA | Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act – a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records |
| FFELP | Federal Family Education Loan Program |
| Financial Aid Appeal | Process to request reconsideration of financial aid eligibility due to disqualification for Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP). Students requiring a Financial Aid appeal may also be required to complete an Academic Appeal |
| First Drop | a program which allows students who have been suspended for the first time from LSUA to be readmitted and participate in training designed to increase their ability to successfully complete their studies |
| FM | Federal Methodology – LSUA uses Federal Methodology to calculate financial aid eligibility. This can be used in the EFC Calculator at http://apps.collegeboard.com/fincalc/efc_welcome.jsp |
| FPLUS | Federal PLUS (Parent) Loan |
| FSEOG | Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant |
| FTF | First Time Freshman |
| FWS | Federal Work-Study – on campus employment opportunities for students who are financially eligible. Student must have unmet need in financial aid budget |
| GPA | Grade Point Average |
| Good Standing | Academic status where student is eligible to return to school (i.e. not suspended) |
| Graded Course | a course where the final grade listed on the transcript will be either A, B, C, D, or F |
| Grant | monetary award given to eligible students to cover some of school’s cost. This award does not have to be paid back. |
| GSL | Guaranteed Student Loan |
| IET | Information and Educational Technology – Department on campus responsible for issuing usernames, setting up accounts for online resources, maintaining computer labs and classrooms |
| Independent student | status assigned to student based on FAFSA |
| INS | Immigration and Naturalization Service |
| IQWeb | software used for online registration, checking grades, printing unofficial transcripts or bills, and accepting financial aid. IQWeb is accessed by logging into http://my.LSUA.edu |
| ISIR | Institutional Student Information Report |
| LCRP | Learning Center for Rapides Parish |
| Lender | financial institution that loans money to students to cover cost of attending school. Examples of lenders include Lela, Sallie Mae, Campus Federal |
| Loans | monetary awards students can apply for to cover cost of school. MUST be paid back. Payments will begin six months after student stops going to school. |
| LSUMoA | LSU Alexandria Museum of Art – located in downtown Alexandria |
| Major | That part of a degree program that is the main focus of study and consists of a specified group of courses in a particular field. (i.e. Psychology) Majors for Associate degrees consists of at least 15 credit hours. Majors for Bachelor’s degrees consist of at least 30 credit hours |
| Minor | that part of a degree program that is not the main focus of study but consists of a specified group of courses in a particular field. Minors are available only for Bachelor’s degrees and consist of between 18 and 24 credit hours |
| My.LSUA | online portal page to access a variety of resources including e-mail, calendar, Desire2Learn, IQWeb, X Drive, Library account, online Help Desk, Oakard Account, Polls, and announcements. Access my.LSUA by going to http://my.lsua.edu . Get your username by clicking the link under the login box |
| NDSL | National Defense/ Direct Student Loan |
| NHSC | National Health Service Corps |
| Non-Tax Filer statement | form from IRS required from students or parents who did not file taxes |
| Non-Verified student | student who has NOT been selected by Federal government to confirm information on FAFSA |
| NSL | Nursing Student Loan |
| NSLDS | National Student Loan Data System – central database for student aid for PELL Grants, Loans, and consolidation history. PIN number for this is same as for FAFSA |
| Oakard | LSUA ID card used to purchase a meal plan or to place funds for declining balance. Declining Balance funds can be used in the bookstore, food services, vending or for funds to print in computer labs. ID Card is also used to check out books in the library |
| The OAKS | On campus apartment style housing. The Oaks is a brand new community complete with all the activities and amenities you deserve. One bill, no hassles, pure enjoyment! Amenities include on-site laundry facilities, swimming pool, game room, outdoor recreation areas, individual leases, computer lab, cable TV and High-Speed internet, water, sewer, and trash disposal, full kitchen and appliance package, quality furnishings, electricity allowance, campus police security |
| Orientation | Meeting, usually in groups, to introduce student to campus life, resources and requirements for success. Usually includes scheduling classes |
| OSFAP | Office of Student Financial Assistance Programs |
| Packaging | process of determining the amount of financial aid a student is eligible for. Financial aid advisor/counselors package each student |
| PASS | Program for Adult Special Students – Applicants who are at least 21 years of age, have not been enrolled in high school or college during the previous calendar year, and will be part time students can enter LSUA as PASS students. Credits are included on the transcript, but cannot be applied for degree credit until the student is admitted as a regular student. |
| Pass/Fail | a course where the final grade for the course will be P (pass) or F (fail). |
| Password | set by student when they retrieve their username by going to http://my.lsua.edu and clicking on “Get Username” under the login box. Passwords must be at least six characters in length, must contain at least one capital letter and at least one number. Passwords expire every 90 days. |
| PC | Parental Contribution – amount calculated by the FAFSA application that parents should contribute toward expenses. |
| PCL | Primary Care Loan Program |
| Pell grant | monetary award given to eligible students to cover some of school’s cost. This award does not have to be paid back. |
| PIN | Personal Identification Number – For Financial Aid purposes, you will obtain a PIN from http://fafsa.ed.gov. This is needed to access your account and track your financial aid application. This number will be reused year to year, regardless of institution. Keep this number in a safe location. PIN can be used for FASFA and NSLDS |
| Powerfaids | software used by financial aid that has all student’s financial aid data and amounts to be awarded to student |
| PLUS | Parent Loans for Undergraduate Students |
| Provisional Admission | admission to LSUA based on student’s application information before receipt of all official transcripts or other documents. Students can register for classes, but must submit all requested documents prior to the first day of class or their admission will be cancelled. Students in provisional status will not receive financial aid until all documentation is received and admission status is complete. |
| Regent’s Core Curriculum | specific list of high school courses required for eligibility to a four year university in Louisiana. Also known as TOPS core or Core Curriculum. |
| Remedial Course | a course designed to help students gain skills needed to be successful in entry level college courses. These courses do not count toward a degree. LSUA developmental course numbers start with 00 (i.e. Math 0092). Developmental courses are required if the student has ACT scores below certain levels. See the LSUA catalog for current requirements. Also called developmental course. |
| Residency | status that determines in-state or out-of-state tuition rates. Students must have lived in Louisiana continuously for at least three full years immediately preceding their first semester. If they have lived in Louisiana less than three years, the student can submit documents to try to establish residency. |
| Resign | to remove all courses from a student’s schedule causing them to not be a student for the remainder of that semester. Students who resign must reapply to the university. Resignations on or before census day result in courses not being shown on the transcript. Resignations after census day result in W grades for all courses. |
| SAP | Satisfactory Academic Progress – to remain eligible for financial aid, students must complete or pass 75% of attempted hrs per academic year AND not exceed 150% of attempted hrs for degree AND must maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA after 24 earned hours (90 hrs for Associate Degree or 180 hrs for bachelor’s degree |
| SAR | Student Aid Report – printout available from FAFSA once complete and submitted |
| SC | Student Contribution |
| Scholarships | monetary awards given to students to cover college expenses |
| School Code | LSUA code placed on FAFSA so that student’s information comes to LSUA- 002011 |
| SDS | Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students |
| SEOG | Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant |
| SG | Student Government |
| Semester | 16 week period of instruction (8 during summer) |
| SODS | (Summer Only Drop Status) a program that allows students who are currently in suspension status at LSUA to attend summer only. Not available to students in suspension status at other universities. |
| Spring Term | School session that runs from January – May |
| Staff | the non-instructional employees at LSUA |
| Stafford Loan | category of most student loans. Federal government provides funds to lenders for students in college |
| Stop List | notes placed on a student record to notify them of action needed including advising, outstanding library books, fees owed, etc |
| Student Worker | someone who is taking classes and working on campus but not a full time employee. Currently student workers must be eligible for Work Study |
| Subsidized loan | student loan in which the Federal government pays the interest while student is enrolled in college |
| Summer Only | admission status for students currently enrolled at another institution who are eligible to return to that institution and who wish to take summer classes and return to their home institution in the Fall. |
| SODS (Summer Only Drop Status) | A program that allows students who have been suspended from LSUA for the first time, to return to school in the summer in order to regain good standing |
| Summer Term | School session that runs approximately from June – August |
| Titled Course | A course that was taken at another college or university, but that doesn’t have an equivalent course at LSUA. These courses will be listed with three * in the name on the transcript. (i.e. MATH 1***) |
| TOPS | Tuition Opportunity Program for Students - grant funding program for students that covers cost of tuition (not fees). Student must meet criteria to be eligible. |
| TOPS Core Curriculum | specific list of high school courses required for eligibility to a four year university in Louisiana. These courses along with other requirements are needed to be eligible for TOPS. Also known as the core curriculum or Regents Core. |
| Transcripts | documentation of student’s academic college record. Contains all classes attempted, earned and the status of those classes. Student must provide an official transcript from each institution they have attended. Each LSUA transcript will show all work from institutions previously attended. |
| Username | login assigned to students upon admission to the university. This login is used to access all online resources including My.LSUA, Desire2Learn, IQWeb, Helpdesk, etc. Students are responsible for activities conducted with their username – remember to log off any computer you access with your username. |
| VA | Veterans Affairs |
| Visiting Student | Students who have been enrolled in another college or university and who are eligible to return to that institution and intend to enroll at LSUA for only one semester and for no more than 12 credit hours |
| Vocational Rehabilitation | office that oversees students who may be eligible for funding to cover college cost due to special health circumstances. |
| W grade | grade assigned when the student withdraws or resigns after census day. Grade does not affect Grade Point Average, but does count toward attempted hours for financial aid purposes. |
| Waitlist | process of holding a place in line to get a seat in a class that was previously full. Students are e-mailed that a seat is available, they have 24 hours to claim that seat or drop to the bottom of the waitlist. All waitlists are cleared the week before classes begin. At that point it is first-come first-served for these spaces. |
| Withdraw | to remove a course from a student’s schedule after census day of any semester. Courses show grade of W on the transcript. These courses do not affect your GPA but do count toward attempted hours for financial aid purposes. |
| Work Study | (also Federal Work Study or FWS) on campus employment opportunities for students who are financially eligible. Student must have unmet need in financial aid budget. |
| X Drive | personal storage space assigned to each student. Information stored here is available through any campus computer or through any computer connected to the Internet
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