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Abbreviation Details

Academic Year A grouping of terms consisting of summer, fall and the subsequent spring semesters. For example, Academic Year 2006-07 consists of summer 2006, fall 2006, and spring 2007.
ACT Equivalent Score The derived ACT composite scores are based on the same percentile rank for students who submit SAT scores only. Information on the study is found in College Board Report NO. 92-3, Methods Used to Establish Score Comparability on the Enhanced ACT Assessment and the SAT, by G.L. Marco, A.A. Abdel-fattah, & P.A. Baron.
ACT Comp Score This is the composite ACT score as entered into the database. The ACT score used for all reports does not include self-reported scores.
Accepted/Admitted Person whose enrollment application credentials have been processed and approved by Director of Admissions.
Accept Ratio Accept ratio is calculated by total applicants accepted divided by applicants applied.
Admission Status Students who apply to US as new first time in college freshmen may be admitted with a status of direct, standard, or general based upon the academic credentials submitted with the application.
Adult Admits This reflects the type of admission for students identified as ‘adult’, having graduated from high school or received the GED more than two years prior to the time of their application. (See New Student definition).
Admission Status Students who apply to US as new first time in college freshmen may be admitted with a status of direct, standard, or general based upon the academic credentials submitted with the application.
Administrators (Admin) Employees whose assignments require primary and major responsibility for management of the institution, or a customarily recognized department or subdivision thereof. Included are the President, Vice Presidents, Deans, Institute Directors, and other officers of academic departments whose principal activity is administrative in nature.
Alumni A living graduate of one of the degree-programs of The University of Akron. For the purposes of this Fact Book, alumni are not restricted to dues paying members of the UA Alumni Association.
Annualized Tuition, Fees Two-semester tuition charged for a student taking a course load at the consolidated level or above. Annualized fees are the total two-semester fees a student taking a course load at the consolidated level normally would be expected to pay.
Application Center There are three centers where undergraduate applications are processed. They are Akron Campus Office of Undergraduate Admissions, Office of International Programs, and Wayne College.
Applied Person who submitted a University of Akron enrollment application form and is awaiting acceptance into the university.
Associate Degree An award or undergraduate degree that normally requires at least two, but less than four years of full time equivalent college credit.
Attendance Branch If a student attends both Akron and Wayne campuses, the attendance branch reflects the campus where a majority of credits are taken. This is designated by term.

Bachelor 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 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 degrees in which the normal four years of work are completed in three years.

Campus The campus indicator is derived from a student’s campus of program. This indicator reflects where the student’s actual academic records are maintained.

Carnegie Classification The Carnegie Classification System is a systematic classification of institutions of higher education in the United States according to such variables as degrees offered, size, and commitment to research. This classification "groups” American colleges and universities according to their missions. The Carnegie Classification was originally published in 1973, and subsequently updated in 1976, 1987, and 1994. The Carnegie Foundation has issued a revised 2000 edition and a long-term plan to undertake a comprehensive revision of the classification system scheduled for release in 2005. Additional information about the Carnegie Classification is available at: http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/Classification/index.htm

Certificate A college program for students who wish to enhance their knowledge in concentrated subject areas. Certificate programs can be completed in one year. A minimum of 15 credits is required to complete most certificate programs.

Census The designated point by when a student must be registered for a course. For regularly scheduled course sections, the census point is the end of business on the 15th calendar day of the academic term (this is not a change from the former '14th day after the first day of classes'). For flexibly scheduled course sections the census point is the end of business on the date closest to completing 20 percent of the course section based on the official start and end dates, regardless of the course section meeting pattern. For flexibly scheduled courses meeting for less than seven consecutive days report all students who enrolled by the last day of the course, but do not report those who withdrew by the end of the course.

College of Major Indicates the college in which the student’s major is located. For undergraduates with a major of “GEN-MAJOR UNCERTAIN”, undergraduates and graduate students with a academic plan which indicates non-degree seeking, the college of major designation is “Unclassified / Non-Degree.”

College Admitted Indicates the college in which the student is admitted. Unless an undergraduate is directly admitted at the time of admission, undergraduates are initially admitted into either University College or Summit College based on their admission status.

Common Data Set (CDS) The Common Data Set (CDS) initiative is a collaborative effort among data providers in the higher education community and publishers as represented by the College Board, Thomson Peterson's, and U.S. News & World Report. The combined goal of this collaboration is to improve the quality and accuracy of information provided to all involved in a student's transition into higher education, as well as to reduce the reporting burden on data providers. This goal is attained by the development of clear, standard data items and definitions in order to determine a specific cohort relevant to each item. Data items and definitions used by the U.S. Department of Education in its higher education surveys often serve as a guide in the continued development of the CDS. Common Data Set items undergo broad review by the CDS Advisory Board as well as by data providers representing secondary schools and two- and four-year colleges. Feedback from those who utilize the CDS also is considered throughout the annual review process. The CDS is a set of standards and definitions of data items rather than a survey instrument or set of data represented in a database. Each of the higher education surveys conducted by the participating publishers incorporates items from the CDS as well as unique items proprietary to each publisher. Consequently, the publishers' surveys differ in that they utilize varying numbers of items from the CDS. Those who report data for their colleges are urged to abide by the definitions and the cohorts specified when answering CDS items. They are also urged to use the answers to CDS items when responding to the numerous survey requests they receive, by distributing photocopies of their answers, posting them on their web sites, or by other effective means.

Confirmed This indicates that the student has paid for an orientation session. This is a good indicator of the student’s intention of attending UA.

Consortium for Student Retention Data Exchange (CSRDE) The CSRDE is a consortium of colleges and universities dedicated to cooperative sharing of student retention data. Our membership includes public and private institutions of varying sizes.

Continuing Students enrolled in the current regular academic term who were enrolled in the preceding regular academic term.

Continuation Rates Continuation rate is the percentage of first-time freshmen in a given fall term who returned to the institution in a subsequent fall term. For example, the “continued to 3rd year” rate for fall 1998 first-time freshmen is the percentage of fall 1998 first-time freshmen who returned for fall 2000. The calculation of continuation rate does not include students who returned to the institution after having graduated from the same institution.

Contract Professional Staff Employees whose assignments require either college graduation or experience of such kind and amount as to provide a comparable background. These employees are not included in the Administration, Faculty, Clerical, Technical, Skilled Crafts, or Maintenance categories.

Country For non-U.S. residents, this is the country of the student’s permanent address.

County For students whose permanent address is in Ohio, it is the county of that permanent address.

Course Level Course level is determined by the catalog number of the course which is based upon the level of course content. The categories of course level are: Developmental (basic remedial courses to help prepare new students for college level work), lower level (those catalog numbers beginning with ‘100’ and ‘200’), upper level (those catalog numbers beginning with ‘300’ and ‘400’, and graduate (those 500 and above). Law courses are restricted to those taught by the law school and whose subjects begin with ‘9200’ and ‘9300’.

Credit Hour Unit of measure toward attainment of degree. 1 credit = 1 hour lecture time/week for 1 semester. At UA, a normal in-class credit hour equates to 750 minutes of instruction.

Credits Enrolled The number of student credits hours for which a student is enrolled.

Cumulative Graduation Rates Graduation rate is the cumulative percentage of first-time freshmen in a given fall term who graduated within a designated period of time. For example, the “graduated in five years” rate for fall 1999 first-time freshmen is the percentage of fall 1999 first-time freshmen who graduated from the institution by the fall 2004 term, including those students who completed their courses during the summer of 2004.

Daytime/Evening Daytime classes begin after 6:00 A.M. and before 5:00 P.M. Evening classes begin at 5:00 P.M. or later.

Degree Indicates the degree the student will/has received. (PhD, JD, EDD, MS, MA, BS, BA, BBA, BT, BFA, BED, BM, AA, etc.). Degrees are awarded upon program completion.

Degree Level Levels are: Certificate, Associate, Bachelors, Masters, Professional, and Doctorate.

Degree Seeking Student A student enrolled in courses for credit that the institution recognizes as seeking a degree or formal award.

Developmental Courses College preparatory courses that enable a student to engage in a normal college curriculum. These courses are not applied toward a degree. UA developmental courses are offered by the Developmental Programs department and are denoted by using course level numbers below 100.

Directly Admitted Students Students who are admitted directly into a degree-granting college.

Distance Learning Courses Courses taught from one location to another in a synchronous manner, primarily using some form of video conferencing process.

Doctorate 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 counseling psychology, chemistry, history, psychology, or urban studies and public affairs.

Duplicated Headcount Counts an enrolled student multiple times, if they are attending both campuses, or are enrolled in multiple colleges and/or majors.

Enrolled Credit Hours The number of credit hours multiplied by the number of enrolled students in a given course. This quantity is also equal to the sum of Student Credit Hours.

Eligible Student Credit Hours (SCH) A student’s enrollment in a course is determined ‘eligible’ for state subsidy providing the enrollment meets the criteria determined by the Ohio Board of Regents. You can view the criteria at: http://www.regents.state.oh.us/hei/datasubdoc/enrollment/production/snfile.html#studsub

English Language Institute (ELI) If you are a citizen of another country, a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident and are looking for an intensive language learning experience, our English for Academic Purposes (EAP) Program is for you. Designed for people who plan to earn a university degree in the United States, this program focuses on the English skills required for success in university coursework.

Enrollment Number of students taking at least one course.

Ethnicity Racial or cultural group with which a person identifies (self-reported). International students are grouped together.

Faculty Employees who are primarily in charge of classroom or laboratory instruction or in the conduct of research.

First-time Freshman (FTIC – First time in college) Enrolled student not previously enrolled at any college who has earned a high school diploma or GED.

Fiscal Year (FY) A twelve-month period of time starting each July 1. By convention academic terms, summer, fall, and spring semesters, are included based on the term ending dates.

Freshman Class standing of an undergraduate student who has earned 0-32 student credit hours.

Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Faculty Faculty FTE is, for non-individual studies/outdoor laboratories, equal to the number of Fall semester undergraduate course credit hours taught divided by 12 and the number of graduate credit hours divided by 9. For individual studies/outdoor laboratories undergraduate courses and courses with less than three students, faculty FTE equals student credit hours divided by 60; for similar type graduate courses, faculty FTE equals student credit hours divided by 27. No faculty member is equated to more than 1.00 faculty FTE.

Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Student Student FTE is a hypothetical student who enrolls in 15 credit hours per semester. The student FTEs in these statistical reports are course-based, not student-level based.

Full-time (FT) Employee Full-time staff that works 40 hours per week.

Full-time (FT) Faculty The standard load for all full-time faculty on nine-month contracts is 24 load credits per academic year and includes load credit for teaching, administrative responsibility, research/creative activity, instructional support, and service.

Full-time (FT) Student Undergraduate enrolled for 12 or more credit hours in a semester, including developmental course credits. Graduate enrolled for 9 or more credit hours per term.

Headcount (HC) Headcount by college includes all declared majors, not just those formally admitted into college. Students are counted only once by the home college of the program in which they are enrolled.

High School GPA (HS GPA) This reflects the student’s high school GPA as reported on ‘official’ and ‘final’ transcripts based on a 4.00 scale.

Higher Education Information (HEI) The Higher Education Information (HEI) system contains data supplied by Ohio's colleges and universities. It is a comprehensive relational database that includes data on students, courses, faculty, facilities, and finances.

Honors Program A four-year university program for highly motivated full-time students. The Honors Program criteria must be continuously met by the student to successfully complete the University Honors Program.

Junior Class rank of an undergraduate student who has earned 65-96 student credit hours.

Learning Assistant (LA) Learning assistants are specially trained peer tutors who help students in the learning process. They are partnered with professors, and the two work as a team to advance students' confidence in their ability to think critically and to problem solve independently.
Learning Communities (LC) A Learning Community is a group of approximately 25 students who take two to four classes together. By participating, students get to know their classmates more quickly and feel at ease faster than if they were facing a new group of people in each classroom. Students in Learning Communities report that they feel more comfortable speaking up in class because they know everyone. Learning Communities are designed for incoming freshmen in their first or second semesters. Students in any major--along with undecided students--are welcome to participate in a Learning Community.
Living/Learning Communities (LLC) Living-Learning Communities are established to provide distinctive settings where student academic success is supported through residential experiences. Living-Learning Communities bring academics into the residence halls through on-site classes, advising and referral services, tutors, and special opportunities to interact with faculty.
Level See Student Level, Degree Level, Course Level.
Librarians with Faculty Rank (Libr with Faculty Rank) Employees who hold faculty rank but are classified as librarians.
Lower Division Courses at a level of comprehension usually associated with freshman and sophomore students and offered during the first half of a baccalaureate degree program are called lower division courses. These courses are numbered at a lower level than junior or senior courses (e.g., 100 or 200 instead of 300 or 400).

New Student Traditionally-aged freshmen who have graduated from high school within the last two years as well as an adult student who has graduated from a regionally accredited secondary school or who has completed the GED test and not attended previously another postsecondary school.

Non-Degree Seeking Student A student not enrolled in a degree or certificate program. This includes unclassified students, guest students, or students who take courses without obtaining a grade-point value or a grade of noncredit or credit.

Non-Resident Alien A non-resident alien is an international student admitted to the U.S. on a non-immigrant visa. The U.S. Non-resident alien status is determined by either a "Green Card" or marriage to a U.S. citizen or resident.

Non-Resident Tuition Tuition charged students who do not meet Ohio residency requirements.

Non-Tenure Track Faculty not eligible for tenure; includes some instructors and visiting appointments.

Non-White U.S. residents who indicate that their race/ethnicity is other than White (Caucasian). This cohort of people includes all except White and Non-Resident Aliens.

Opening Enrollment Headcount at the beginning of the semester. Usually taken at the end of the course add/drop period (15th calendar day of the term). Is also referred to as census date enrollment.

Other Admits Guests or transient students, students required to take only developmental courses, or those students over the age of 21 not required to submit ACT/SAT scores for admission.

Part-time Faculty Part-time faculty teach no more than 21 load credits per academic year, and may be grouped into three categories: 1) Auxiliary lecturers are appointed on a semester-to-semester basis to teach no more than eight credits per semester. 2) Continuing lecturers are appointed for no less than one and no more than a three-year renewable term. Continuing lecturers shall teach no more than eighteen credits per academic year. 3) Renewable term lecturers are appointed for terms of no less than one and no more than a three-year renewable term. Renewable term lecturers shall teach nineteen to twenty-one credits per academic year.

Part-time Staff Employees who are coded as part-time on UA’s HR System, regardless of funding sources. They generally work less than 40 hours per week.

Part-time Students Undergraduate students enrolled for less than 12 credit hours. Graduate students enrolled for less than 9 credit hours. Law School students are classified Day/Evening based upon program of attendance. Day students are considered full-time while evening students are part-time.

Persistence A student who continues to re-enroll toward an academic goal

Program A field of study classified by CIP code, the major, and degree/certificate type.

Postbaccalaureate A student who holds the baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution, who is eligible to enroll in credit courses at the undergraduate level, and who has not been admitted to the Graduate School.

Postsecondary Admit A student who is currently enrolled in high school may enroll in the postsecondary enrollment options program.Students must meet the outlined requirements for these programs.

Research Faculty Employees whose primary assignments customarily are made for the purpose of conducting research as a principal activity; instruction and service may be performed as additional activities.

Resident Tuition Tuition charged Ohio residents, U.S. military personnel and dependants.

Retention Rate A retention rate is the percentage of students in a given cohort who are enrolled at UA in a specified term and re-enrolled in another specified term (usually one year later) or have graduated during that timeframe. The number of students in the cohort is the denominator of the rate; the number of students enrolled or graduated but not enrolled one year later is the numerator of the rate.

SAT Comp Score This is the composite SAT score as entered into the database. The SAT score used for all reports does not include self-reported scores.

Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) Disciplines Include the following STEM disciplines using the CIP 2000 codes: CIP 03.xxxx Natural Resources and Conservation, CIP 11.xxxx Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services, CIP 14.xxxx Engineering, CIP 15.xxxx Engineering Technologies/Technicians, CIP 26.xxxx Biological and Biomedical Sciences, CIP 27.xxxx Mathematics and Statistics, and CIP 40.xxxx Physical Sciences. In addition, it should also include: CIP 01.0000 Agriculture, General; CIP 01.0801 Agriculture and Extension Education Services; CIP 01.09-01.9999 Various Animal Science and Food Sciences; CIP 30.1901 Nutrition Sciences; and CIP 30.2401 Neuroscience.

Senior Class rank of an undergraduate student with more than 96 credit hours.

Sixty Plus (60+) Program The University of Akron's Sixty Plus (60+) Program is designed to provide Ohio residents age 60 and older with the opportunity to audit credit classes on a space-available basis. Sixty Plus (60+) students may register for up to three classes (with appropriate prerequisites) per academic term. Auditing allows students to enroll in courses, but college credit is not awarded.

Sophomore Class rank of an undergraduate student who has earned 33-64 student credit hours.

Special Student A special student is enrolled as a non-degree seeking student to participate in a special short-term program. A special student may not take courses for more than two consecutive semesters unless official status as a regular student is gained. A special student may not take more than 15 credits unless official status as a regular student is gained.

Standardly Admitted Students Students who meet the criteria for general University admission, but not the criteria for direct admission to a UA degree granting college.

State Financial Aid Institutional grants made to Ohioans attending approved schools within the state of Ohio, and out-of-state schools whose states have reciprocity agreements with the state of Ohio.

Student Administration System Computer application where student information is captured, updated and maintained.

Student Assistant A student employed part-time by the university to perform various tasks. The student must be enrolled in at least 6 credit hours per semester to qualify for the federally subsidized work-study program. Regular students employed by UA must be enrolled in 12 credit hours per semester.

Student Credit Hour (SCH) A unit of measure that represents one student engaged in an activity for which one credit hour for a degree or other certificate is granted upon the successful completion of the related course.

Student Faculty Ratio (SFR) Student Faculty Ratio (SFR) is the student FTEs divided by Faculty FTEs.

Student Level UA students are divided into three levels: Undergraduagte, Graduate, or Professional (Law).

Student Rank The division of students by the number of credits earned. (i.e., Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior, Graduate).

Student Success Seminar (SSS) The Student Success Seminar is a baccalaureate credit bearing course designed to enhance student understanding of the higher education environment and assist with transitional issues. The focus is on active learning strategies, which encourage the integration of classroom theory and practical application; supports the acquisition of new skills, techniques, and information; reviews campus wide expectations and reinforces policies, procedures, and program requirements. Exposure to and experience with existing and emerging technology is a major component of the course.

Tenure Full-time Faculty holding professorial rank (regardless of funding source) whose coding in the HR system indicates that they are appointed for an indefinite term without the necessity of reappointment each year.

Transfer Students Students enrolling with credit from a previous college.

Tuition Amount of money charged to students for instructional services.

Visiting Faculty A person appointed to fill a temporary vacancy or a person on leave from another institution, an eminent scholar or an expert appointed for a limited time and a specific objective.

Yield Ratio Yield ratio is calculated by total applicants enrolled divided by applicants accepted.