eApp Glossary

Glossary for Application for Approval to Participate

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Application for Approval to Participate in Federal Student Financial Aid Programs
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid, Program Compliance, School Eligibility Channel,
School Participation Management Division

Glossary
For additional help in filling out the Electronic Application, refer to the Help Document

Words and phrases used in the "Application for Approval to Participate in Federal
Student Financial Aid Programs"
[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]

-AAbility-to-Benefit Student
A student who has neither a high school diploma nor its recognized equivalent (such as a GED)
but who passed an independently administered test approved by the U.S. Secretary of Education
that indicates the student can benefit from postsecondary education or training.
Academic Year
If the program is offered in credit hours, a time period of at least 30 instructional weeks during
which a full-time undergraduate student is expected to complete:
x
at least 24 semester or trimester credit hours or 36 quarter credit hours at an institution
using those credit hours
or
If the program is offered in clock hours, a time period of at least 26 instructional weeks during
which a full-time undergraduate student is expected to complete:
x
at least 900 clock hours of instruction at an institution using clock hours.
Accrediting Agency
An agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a reliable authority for evaluating the
educational quality of programs offered by postsecondary institutions.
Administrative Capability
A requirement an institution must meet to participate in federal student financial aid programs.
Administrative capability covers specific areas in an institution's management of its federal
student financial aid programs. For further information, refer to 34 CFR 668.16
Associate Degree
A degree awarded by a postsecondary institution to a student who has successfully completed at
least two years of academic study in an academic or occupational field of study. Associate
degrees include, but are not limited to, the following:
x
Associate of Arts (A.A.),
x
Applied Associate of Science (A.A.S.),
x
Associate of Occupational Science (A.O.S),
and
x
Associate of Science (A.S.).
Award Year
The time period beginning July 1 of one calendar year through June 30 of the following calendar

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year.

-BBachelors Degree
A degree awarded by a postsecondary institution to a student who has completed at least four
academic years of college-level work in an academic or occupation-specific field of study.
Bachelor's degrees include, but are not limited to, the following:
x
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
and
x
Bachelor of Science (BS).

-CCEO
Chief executive officer
Certified English Translation
An accurate translation acceptable to the U.S. Secretary of Education that is approved or
authorized, in writing, by the President/CEO or other official of the school.
CFR
See Code of Federal Regulations.
CIP Codes
See Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Codes
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP)
Codes A manual published by ED listing codes, titles, and descriptions of educational programs
that institutions and states use for reporting and analyzing data.
Clock Hour
The period of time consisting of:
x
a 50-minute to 60-minute class, lecture, or recitation in a 60-minute period;
or
x
a 50-minute to 60-minute faculty-supervised laboratory, shop training, or internship in a
60-minute period;
or
x
60 minutes of preparation in a program of study by correspondence.
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)
A compilation of published federal regulations that appeared in the Federal Register. Regulations
implementing federal student financial aid programs are found in Title 34 CFR.
Correspondence Course or Program
A "home study" course provided by an institution to students who are not physically attending
classes. If a program is part correspondence course and part residential, it is considered to be a
correspondence course. Some correspondence programs require a period of residential training.
Credit Hour
A semester, trimester, or quarter credit hour.

-D"Dear Colleagues" letter (DCL)

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Information and guidance provided to the student financial aid community by the U.S.
Department of Education in a letter format.
Direct Assessment
A program that in lieu of credit hours or clock hours as a measure of student learning, uses direct
assessment of student learning or recognizes the direct assessment of student learning by others.
For further information refer to the General Provisions 34 CFR 668.10.
Doctoral Degree
Any of numerous academic degrees awarded by universities and some colleges on completion of
advanced graduate or professional studies in the humanities, the social sciences, the behavioral
sciences, or the pure sciences beyond the master's level. Doctoral degrees include, but are not
limited to, the following:
x
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.),
x
Doctor of Theology (Th.D.),
x
Doctor of Engineering (Eng.D.),
and
x
Doctor Education (Ed.D.),
See also Professional Degree.
Doing Business As
The name, if different from the official name of an institution, under which an institution holds
itself out to the public.

-EED

An abbreviated way of referring to the U.S. Department of Education.
Educational Program
A postsecondary course of study that generally leads to an academic or professional degree,
vocational certificate, or other recognized educational credential. The U.S. Secretary of Education
considers that a postsecondary institutions is not providing an "educational program" if the
institution itself does not provide the program's instruction (including a course of independent
study) but merely gives credit for one or more of the following: instruction provided by other
institutions or organizations, or other accomplishments (such as "life experience").
English Translation
See Certified English Translation.
Equivalent Degree
An educational credential that the U.S. Secretary of Education determines is the equivalent of an
associate degree, bachelor's degree, or professional degree and that requires at least two academic
years of study.
Ext.
An abbreviated way of referring to a telephone or fax extension.

-FFederal Student Financial Aid Programs

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Student financial aid programs authorized under Title IV or the Higher Education Act of 1965, as
amended (HEA). The programs include:
x
the Federal Pell Grant Program,
x
the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program,
x
the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program,
x
the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) Program,
x the Federal College Work Study (FCWS) Program,
and
x
the Federal Perkins Loan Program.
The last three programs are known as "campus-based programs."
Financial Responsibility
Measures of an institution's financial resources as shown in its financial statement audit.
First Professional Degree
See Professional Degree.
Foreign Graduate Medical School
A foreign institution listed as a medical school in the most current edition of the World Directory
of Medical Schools published by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Foreign Institution
An institution not located in a state. See also State.

-GNo entries

-HHEA
See Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA)
Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA)
The statute that authorizes federal student financial aid programs and most of the other federal
higher education programs that U.S. Department of Education administers. The statute's most
current version is the official version of the law. See also Federal Student Financial Aid
Programs.

-IIncarcerated Student
A student serving a criminal sentence in a federal, state, or local penitentiary, prison, jail, or other
correctional facility. A student is not considered incarcerated if he or she is in a halfway house or
home detention or sentenced to serve weekends only.
Ineligible Institution
An institution that has not been certified for participation in the Title IV programs.
IRS

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U.S. Internal Revenue Service

-J,K,LNo entries

-MMaster's Degree
A degree awarded by a graduate school or department to a person who has completed the fulltime equivalent of at least one but not more than two years of work beyond the baccalaureate
level. Master's degrees include, but are not limited to, the following:
x
Master of Arts (M.A.),
x
Master of Science (M.S.),
and
x
Master of Social Work (M.S.W.),

-NNo entries

-OOPE ID
See OPE Identification (OPE ID) Number.
OPE Identification (OPE ID) Number
An 8-digit identification number assigned by the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) within
the U.S. Department of Education to an institution that has been approved to participate in federal
student financial aid programs.
Organization
An entity that is not an institution of higher education.
Our/We/Us
Here this refers to the U.S. Department of Education (ED).

-PPost-baccalaureate teacher certification program
A post-baccalaureate teacher certification or licensure program that consists of the courses required by a
state to receive a professional certification or licensing credential necessary for employment as a teacher in
an elementary or secondary school in that state. Note: The school cannot also offer a bachelor’s degree in
education and the student must be pursuing an initial teacher certification or licensing credential within a
state.

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PPA

See Program Participation Agreement (PPA)
Professional Degree
A degree awarded by an institution to an entry-level professional in certain occupational fields.
Although sometimes called doctoral degrees, professional degrees differ from research doctorates
in that they do not include a required component of original research or a demonstration of
expertise in a field beyond what is required to qualify for basic licensing examinations.
Professional degrees may be awarded in such fields a chiropractic, dentistry, divinity/ministry,
law, medicine, optometry, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, podiatry, rabbinical and talmudic
studies, and veterinary medicine.
Program Participation Agreement (PPA)
The contract between an institution and ED that allows the institution to participate in federal
student financial aid programs.

-QQuarter Credit Hour
A way of measuring credit in higher education in which one quarter credit hour represents one
hour of classroom instruction per week and two hours of outside preparation for that classroom
hour during the course of a quarter academic term. A quarter academic term is usually 10 to 13
weeks long.

-RRegular Student
A person enrolled or accepted for enrollment in an eligible program at an eligible postsecondary
institution for the purpose of obtaining a degree or certificate offered by that institution.

-SSatisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)
A measure of whether a student is progressing adequately toward completion of his or her course
of study. It is determined in terms of grade point average and course completions.
Semester Credit Hour
A way of measuring credit in which one semester credit hour represents one hour of classroom
instruction per week and two hours of outside preparation for that classroom hour during the
course of a semester academic term. A semester academic term usually is 13 to 17 weeks long.
SSN
Social Security number
State
A state of the union (of the United States of America), American Samoa, the Commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of the Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia,
the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall
Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. See also Foreign Institution.
Student
See Regular Student.

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-TTIN
See Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)
Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)
A 9-digit identification number that the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) assigns to an
institution for federal tax purposes.
Telecommunications Course
A course offered primarily by television, audio, or computer transmission, including open
broadcast, closed circuit, cable, microwave or satellite, audio conferencing, computer
conferencing, or videocassette or videodiscs. The term does not include a course that is delivered
by videocassettes or videodisc recordings unless that same course is delivered to students
physically attending classes at the institution during the same award year. See also
Correspondence Course or Program.
Translation
See Certified English Translation
Trimester Credit Hour
A way measuring credit in higher education in which one trimester credit hour represents one
hour of classroom instruction per week and two hours of outside preparation for that classroom
hour during the course of a trimester academic term. A trimester academic term usually is 13 to
17 weeks long.
Two-Academic-Year Transfer Program.
A formal education program of two academic years that is acceptable for full credit toward a
bachelor's degree.

-UUs/We/Our
Here this refers to the U.S. Department of Education (ED).

-VNo entries

-WWe/Us/Our
Here this refers to the U.S. Department of Education (ED).

-XNo entries

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-YYou/Yours
Here this refers to the Institution completing the document.

-ZNo entries
Return to Index

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