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Faculty
(1) The body of teaching personnel in a department, division, or an entire institution. (2) An academic administrative unit, e.g., the Faculty of Engineering.

FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a free form distributed by the U.S. Department of Education to collect information used to determine a student’s need for federal financial aid. These forms are available from the schools and colleges that participate in federal student aid programs. Check with your school to find out if the form can be used to qualify for nonfederal aid.

Fall Semester
That part of the academic year that begins between late August and mid November.

Federal Sources
Pell Grant Program, State Educational Opportunity Grant Program, Stafford Loan Program (formerly Guaranteed Student Loan Program), Federal Perkins Loan Program (formerly National Direct Student Loan Program), PLUS Program (Parents Loans for Undergraduate Students), Federal College Work Study.

Fellow
A student (graduate or undergraduate) granted a fellowship on the basis of academic achievement.

FICE Code
FICE code is a 6-digit code maintained for historical purposes. This identifier was originally created by the Federal Interagency Committee on Education (FICE) to distinguish postsecondary schools that qualified as institutions of higher education from other postsecondary institutions. As of 1997, this code is no longer maintained.

Final Examination
A course-based examination taken at the end of the semester or term.

Financial Aid
Grants, loans, and funds provided for financial aid by the government. These resources, such as for work-study, are used to pay fees or tuition and sometimes the living costs of students. Such aid comes in many forms and from a variety of sources.

Financial Aid Package
A financial aid package is a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study funds. A postsecondary institution awards a package as a means of meeting the financial need of each student in the most effective way possible.

First Professional
Refers to students who are enrolled in programs leading toward a first-professional degree in the fields of chiropractic, dentistry, law, medicine, optometry, osteopathy, pharmacy, podiatry, theology, and veterinary medicine.

First-Professional Degree
An award that requires completion of a program that meets all of the following criteria: 1) completion of the academic requirements to begin practice in the profession; 2) at least two years of college work prior to entering the program; and 3) a total of at least six academic years of college work to complete the degree program, including prior required college work plus the length of the professional program itself. First-Professional degrees are discipline-specific and may be awarded as follows:

• Dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.)
• Medicine (M.D.)
• Optometry (O.D.)
• Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.)
• Podiatric Medicine (D.P.M., D.P., or Pod.D.)
• Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.)
• Law (L.L.B, J.D.)
• Theology (M.Div, M.H.L., B.D., or Ordination)
• Chiropractic Medicine (D.C. or D.C.M.)
• Pharmacy (D. Phar.)

Foreign Student Advisor
Usually an official employed by the institution to assist foreign students, scholars, and faculty with immigration, visas, orientation, insurance, and other such matters.

Freshman
Refers to a first-year undergraduate student.

Full-Time Student
Refers to a student who is taking a full load each term. Full-time for community college students is 12 or more credits/hours.

General Education Requirements
A program of courses in the arts and sciences that provides students with a broad educational experience. Courses typically are introductory in nature and provide students with fundamental skills and knowledge in mathematics, English, arts, humanities, and physical, biological, and social sciences. Transfer students often take these classes while attending a community college. Completion of a general education program is required for the baccalaureate degree.

GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test)
A standardized external examination of verbal and quantitative skills usually required by graduate schools of business and used to assess the qualifications of applicants for MBA programs.

Grade
An evaluation (normally by letter on a scale of A-F) of a student's performance in the classroom, on an examination, a term paper, or in a course.

Grade Point Average (GPA)
A system of scoring student achievement used by many colleges and universities. A student's GPA is computed by multiplying the numerical grade received in each course by the number of credits offered for each course, then dividing by the total number of credit hours studied.

• Most institutions use the following grade conversion scale: A = 4, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, and F = 0.
• High school Advanced Placement (AP) courses and honors courses use a grading system that translates to a 5-point scale.

Graduate
A graduate is a student who has completed the requirements for a bachelor’s degree and who is enrolled in a master’s or higher degree program in a postsecondary institution.

Graduate Advisor
The faculty member who serves as advisor to all graduate students in a department.

Graduate School
The academic unit within an institution that administers graduate education.

Graduate Student
A student who holds a bachelor's or first-professional degree, or equivalent, and is taking courses at the post baccalaureate level. These students may or may not be enrolled in graduate programs.

Graduate Study
A program leading to a master's degree or doctoral degree; advanced study generally following the bachelor's degree.

Grant
A grant is gift aid that does not have to be repaid.

GRE (Graduate Record Examination)
A two-part standardized external examination designed to measure general verbal, quantitative, and analytical skills (General Aptitude Test), and knowledge and understanding of subject matter basic to graduate study in specific fields (Advanced Tests). The GRE is generally required by graduate schools and is used to assess the qualifications of applicants to master's and Ph.D. programs.

Gymnasium
The building that houses the sports facilities on a campus.

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