Glossary

You may encounter unfamiliar industry- or data-specific terminology throughout our reports. The glossary terms and definitions below are provided to add clarity and context to your experience. Filter alphabetically below to find the term you are looking for.

American Indian or Alaskan Native

The race of a person who has origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and who maintains a tribal affiliation or community attachment.

Asian

The race of a person who has origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Associate Degree

An award that normally requires at least two but less than four years of full-time equivalent college work in a grouping of courses designed to lead the individual directly to employment in a specific career or to transfer to an upper-level baccalaureate program. This specifically refers to the Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Arts, Associate of Applied Science, Associate of Arts in Teaching, and Associate of Occupational Studies degrees. The term "applied" in an associate degree name indicates a program in which the content is primarily technical.

Award Amount

Amount of tuition and fees a student did not pay as a result of exemption/waiver.