A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
Take-Home Examination
A course examination that is completed outside of the classroom.
Teaching Assistant (TA)
A graduate student who is employed part-time to assist with faculty teaching.
Teaching Credential Student
Refers to students who are currently enrolled in the Teacher Certification program, and plan to receive a single or multiple teaching certifications at the end of the program.
Tenure
A status accorded to higher education faculty who have met requirements of scholarly activity, excellence in teaching, and community service over a specified period of time, usually six to eight years. Once achieved, the status of tenure affords the faculty lifelong employment. Tenure is designed to protect academic freedom of faculty to pursue and share unpopular or unconventional knowledge and ideas without fear of termination.
Term
A generic word for academic sessions (quarter, semester).
Term Paper
A formal paper required as part of coursework.
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
A standardized test administered worldwide to determine proficiency in English and required by most U.S. institutions of all foreign applicants whose first language is other than English.
Test of Spoken English (TSE )
A test designed to assess the spoken English proficiency of people whose native language is not English. The TSE is often required of graduate students seeking assistantships.
Thesis
A written piece of work required for a degree.
Time to Degree
The total length of time it takes a student, from his/her first day of class, to receive a degree.
Title IV Programs
This term refers to all programs created by the Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. These programs include Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants, Federal Work Study, Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Stafford Loans, Direct Loans, and Direct PLUS Loans.
Title IV-Eligible Institutions
Refers to institutions that are eligible for Title IV federal financial aid programs. IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) surveys are mandatory for Title IV-eligible institutions.
TOEFL (Test of English as Foreign Language)
A standardized test administered worldwide to determine proficiency in English and required by most U.S. institutions of all foreign applicants whose first language is other than English.
Transcript
A copy of a student's permanent educational record at an institution of higher education. It becomes an official transcript when the seal of an institution is affixed and the signature of an authorized person is appended.
Transfer
The process of enrollment at a college or university other than the one in which a student is currently enrolled. Generally the term “transfer student” refers to a student who has completed two years of full-time lower division college coursework, either in general education or a "major preparation" coursework for a selected degree program.
Transfer Credit
Credit awarded toward a degree on the basis of studies completed at another institution. In Texas, this term generally refers to credits awarded to students who attended a community college and are transferring to a four-year institution.
Transfer Student
A student entering the reporting institution for the first time but known to have previously attended a postsecondary institution. In Texas, this generally refers to a student who previously attended a Texas community college who is transferring to a four-year institution.
Trimester
An academic year consisting of three terms of about 15 weeks each.
TSE (Test of Spoken English)
A test designed to assess the spoken English proficiency of people whose native language is not English. The TSE is often required of graduate students seeking assistantships.
Tuition
Amount of money charged to students for instructional services. Tuition may be charged per term, per course, or per credit.
U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI)
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics "Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers," or U.S. CPI, is a measure of the average change in prices over time in a fixed market basket of goods and services purchased by U.S. residents. According to the Bureau, the items included in the pricing survey are food, clothing, shelter, transportation costs, medical and dental care charges, and other goods that people buy for day-to-day living. All of the taxes directly associated with the purchase and use of items are included in the index. Items in this market basket are weighted for importance in the base year, as determined by a survey of consumer expenditures. Relative weights change over time as the price of items rises more or less rapidly than the overall index. Prices are collected in 85 geographic areas around the country, utilizing more than 57,000 housing units and 19,000 retail businesses. The U.S. CPI is based on monthly pricing of the market basket and this pricing occurs throughout the entire month.
UT
Acronym for The University of Texas at Austin.
Undergraduate
A student enrolled in a four- or five-year bachelor's degree program, in an associate's degree program, or a vocational or technical program below the baccalaureate who is a degree-seeking student and has not earned a first bachelor’s degree at a college or university.
Undergraduate Degree
An award conferred by a college, university, or other postsecondary education as official recognition for the successful completion of a program of studies prior to the baccalaureate level. These degrees include:
• Certificate
• Pre-Baccalaureate Certificate—Less than 1 Year
• Pre-Baccalaureate Certificate—At least 1 but less than 2 Years
• Pre-Baccalaureate Certificate—At least 2 but less than 4 Years
• Associate Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
University
A separately accredited, degree-granting institution offering programs at the lower division, upper division, and graduate levels of postsecondary education. Universities usually are single campus locations, though they often operate branch campuses or off-campus centers.
Upper Division
Courses designed for the third and fourth (junior and senior) years of study toward a bachelor's degree. These courses are not offered by community colleges, and they often require completion of prerequisite courses (major preparation courses). This term also refers to junior and senior students in baccalaureate degree granting institutions.
Visiting Scholar or Student
An individual attending a U.S. institution by special agreement with a foreign institution. A visiting scholar or student does non-matriculation, which means that he or she is not engaged in a degree program. To change status and matriculate in a degree program, a visiting student or scholar must apply for admission to the institution and undergo the usual selection process.
Withdrawal
Formal process of leaving an institution before (and without) completing a degree.
Work Study
Employment, usually on campus, awarded to needy students as part of a financial aid package through the U.S. government's Federal Work-Study Program.
Workforce Development
Workforce Development refers to the entirety of the systems by which people are educated, trained, upgraded, and retrained for employment and participation in the workforce. Included in the process are all segments of the system—from K-12 education and postsecondary institutions to public and private training programs to economic development and employment expansion programs.
Work-Study Program
The program provides jobs that enable students to earn a portion of school costs through employment.