Glossary of Key Admissions Terms

ACT
Definition of ACT, the American College Test

AP (Advanced Placement) Exams
Definition of AP Exams, Advanced Placement Exams

Common Application
Definition of the application used by hundreds of colleges and universities

Community College
Definition of a community college

EFC: Expected Family Contribution
Definition of EFC, the Expected Family Contribution for college financial aid.

FAFSA
Definition of FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid

Holistic Admissions
Most of the country's highly selective colleges and universities have holistic admissions. Learn what the policy means.

Liberal Arts College
Glossary definition of a liberal arts college

Match School
Definition of match school for college admissions.

Private University
Definition of a private university

Public Liberal Arts College
Glossary definition of a public liberal arts college

Public University
Definition of a public university

Reach School
Definition of reach school for college admissions.

Safety School
Definition of a safety school for college admissions.

SAR: Student Aid Report
Definition of SAR, the Student Aid Report for college financial aid

SAT
What is the SAT standardized test? This glossary definition provides the answer.

TOEFL, the Test of English as a Foreign Language
Definition of TOEFL, the Test of English as a Foreign Language

Yield
Definition of "yield" within college admissions.