A. General Information
B. Enrollment and Persistence
C. First-Time, First-Year (Freshman) Admission
D. Transfer Admission
E. Academic Offerings and Policies
F. Student Life
G. Annual Expenses - corrected September 14, 2006
H. Financial Aid
I. Instructional Faculty and Class Size
J. Degrees Conferred
Definitions

A. GENERAL INFORMATION

A1. Address Information

Name of College or University:  Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Mailing Address:  77 Massachusetts Aveune
City, State, Zip, Country:  Cambridge, MA 02139 USA

Street Address (if different): ___

Main Phone Number:  617.253.1000
WWW Home Page Address:  http://web.mit.edu/

Admissions Phone Number:  617.253.4791
Admissions Toll-free Number:  ___
Admissions Office Mailing Address:  MIT Admissions Room 3-108, 77 Massachusetts Aveune
City, State, Zip, Country:  Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
Admissions Fax Number: 617.258.8304
Admissions E-mail Address:  admissions@mit.edu
Is there a separate URL application site on the Internet?  _X_Yes  ___No
If so, please specify: http://web.mit.edu/admissions/www/applications/

A2. Source of institutional control (check one only)

A3. Classify your undergraduate institution:

A4. Academic year calendar

A5. Degrees offered by your institution

B. ENROLLMENT AND PERSISTENCE

B1. Institutional Enrollment--Men and Women Provide numbers of students for each of the following categories as of the institution's official fall reporting date or as of October 15, 2003.

Total all undergraduates: 4112

Total all graduate and professional students: 6228

GRAND TOTAL ALL STUDENTS: 10,340

B2. Enrollment by Racial/Ethnic Category. Provide numbers of undergraduate students for each of the following categories as of the institution's official fall reporting date or as of October 15, 2003 . Include international students only in the category "Nonresident aliens." Complete the "Total Undergraduate" column only if you cannot provide data for the first two columns.

Persistence

B3. Number of degrees awarded by your institution from July 1, 2002 , to June 30, 2003 .

Graduation Rates

For Bachelor's or Equivalent Programs

Fall 1997 Cohort
Report for the cohort of full-time first-time bachelor's (or equivalent) degree-seeking undergraduate students who entered in fall 1997. Include in the cohort those who entered your institution during the summer term preceding fall 1997.

B4. Initial 1997 cohort of first-time, full-time bachelor's (or equivalent) degree-seeking undergraduate students; total all students: 1066

B5. Of the initial 1997 cohort, how many did not persist and did not graduate for the following reasons: death, permanent disability, service in the armed forces, foreign aid service of the federal government, or official church missions; total allowable exclusions: 4

B6. Final 1997 cohort, after adjusting for allowable exclusions: 1062
(Subtract question B5 from question B4)

B7. Of the initial 1997 cohort, how many completed the program in four years or less (by August 31, 2001): 861

B8. Of the initial 1997 cohort, how many completed the program in more than four years but in five years or less (after August 31, 2001 and by August 31, 2002): 93

B9. Of the initial 1997 cohort, how many completed the program in more than five years but in six years or less (after August 31, 2002 and by August 31, 2003): 28

B10. Total graduating within six years (sum of questions B7, B8, and B9): 982

B11. Six-year graduation rate for 1997 cohort (question B10 divided by question B6): 92%

Note: Questions B12 - B21 have been omitted. They apply to Two-Year Institutions and not MIT.

Retention Rates
Report for the cohort of all full-time, first-time bachelor's (or equivalent) degree-seeking undergraduate students who entered in fall 2002 (or the preceding summer term). The initial cohort may be adjusted for students who departed for the following reasons: death, permanent disability, service in the armed forces, foreign aid service of the federal government or official church missions. No other adjustments to the initial cohort should be made.

B22. For the cohort of all full-time bachelor's (or equivalent) degree-seeking undergraduate students who entered your institution as freshmen in fall 2002 (or the preceding summer term), what percentage was enrolled at your institution as of the date your institution calculates its official enrollment in fall 2003? 98%

C. FIRST-TIME, FIRST-YEAR (FRESHMAN) ADMISSION

Applications
C1. First-time, first-year (freshman) students: Provide the number of degree-seeking, first-time, first-year students who applied, were admitted, and enrolled (full- or part-time) in fall 2003. Include early decision, early action, and students who began studies during summer in this cohort. Applicants should include only those students who fulfilled the requirements for consideration for admission (i.e., who completed actionable applications) and who have been notified of one of the following actions: admission, nonadmission, placement on waiting list, or application withdrawn (by applicant or institution). Admitted applicants should include wait-listed students who were subsequently offered admission.

C2. Freshman wait-listed students (students who met admission requirements but whose final admission was contingent on space availability)

Do you have a policy of placing students on a waiting list?   _X_Yes     ___No
If yes, please answer the questions below for fall 2003 admissions:

Admission Requirements
C3. High school completion requirement

Check the appropriate box to identify your high school completion requirement for degree-seeking entering students:

C4. Does your institution require or recommend a general college-preparatory program for degree-seeking students?

C5. Distribution of high school units required and/or recommended. Specify the distribution of academic high school course units required and/or recommended of all or most degree-seeking students using Carnegie units (one unit equals one year of study or its equivalent). If you use a different system for calculating units, please convert.

Basis for Selection

C6. Do you have an open admission policy, under which virtually all secondary school graduates or students with GED equivalency diplomas are admitted without regard to academic record, test scores, or other qualifications? If so, check which applies:

C7. Relative importance of each of the following academic and nonacademic factors in your first-time, first-year degree-seeking (freshman) admission decisions.

SAT and ACT Policies

C8. Entrance exams
A. Does your institution make use of SAT I, SAT II, or ACT scores in admission decisions for first-time, first-year, degree-seeking applicants?
  _X_Yes     ___No
If yes, place check marks in the appropriate boxes below to reflect your institution's policies for use in admission.

In addition , does your institution use applicants' test scores for placement or counseling?

B. Does your institution use the SAT I or II, or the ACT for placement only ? If so, please mark the appropriate boxes below:

C. Latest date by which SAT I or ACT scores must be received for fall-term admission:  01/01
Latest date by which SAT II scores must be received for fall-term admission:  01/01

D. If necessary, use this space to clarify your test policies (e.g., if tests are recommended for some students, or if tests are not required of some students): 
Non-native English speakers may take TOEFL and SAT II in math and science. Others must take (SAT I or ACT) and SAT II in a math, a science and an English or history.

Freshman Profile

Provide percentages for ALL enrolled, degree-seeking, full-time and part-time, first-time, first-year (freshman) students enrolled in fall 2003, including students who began studies during summer, international students/nonresident aliens, and students admitted under special arrangements.

C9. Percent and number of first-time, first-year (freshman) students enrolled in fall 2003 who submitted national standardized (SAT/ACT) test scores . Include information for ALL enrolled, degree-seeking, first-time, first-year (freshman) students who submitted test scores . Do not include partial test scores (e.g., mathematics scores but not verbal for a category of students) or combine other standardized test results (such as TOEFL) in this item. SAT scores should be recentered scores. The 25th percentile is the score that 25 percent scored at or below; the 75th percentile score is the one that 25 percent scored at or above.

Percent of first-time, first-year (freshman) students with scores in each range:

C10. Percent of all degree-seeking, first-time, first-year (freshman) students who had high school class rank within each of the following ranges (report information for those students from whom you collected high school rank information).

C11. Percentage of all enrolled, degree-seeking, first-time, first-year (freshman) students who had high school grade-point averages within each of the following ranges (using 4.0 scale ). Report information only for those students from whom you collected high school GPA.

C12. Average high school GPA of all degree-seeking, first-time, first-year (freshman) students who submitted GPA:  3.9

Percent of total first-time, first-year (freshman) students who submitted high school GPA: 99 %

Admission Policies

C13. Application fee

Does your institution have an application fee?  _X_Yes   ___No
Amount of application fee:  $65
Can it be waived for applicants with financial need?  _X_Yes   ___No

C14. Application closing date

Does your institution have an application closing date?  _X_Yes   ___No
Application closing date (fall): 01/01
Priority date:  ___

C15. Are first-time, first-year students accepted for terms other than the fall?  ___Yes   _X_No

C16. Notification to applicants of admission decision sent (fill in one only)

On a rolling basis beginning (date):  ___
By (date): 03/25
Other:  ___

C17. Reply policy for admitted applicants (fill in one only)

Must reply by (date):  ___
No set date:  ___
Must reply by May 1 or within 2 weeks if notified thereafter
Other:  ___

C18. Deferred admission: Does your institution allow students to postpone enrollment after admission?

  _X_Yes   ___No
If yes, maximum period of postponement:  1 year unless special circumstance

C19. Early admission of high school students: Does your institution allow high school students to enroll as full-time, first-time, first-year (freshman) students one year or more before high school graduation?  _X_Yes   ___No

C20. Common application: Will you accept the common application distributed by the National Association of Secondary School Principals if submitted?   ___Yes   _X_No
If "yes," are supplemental forms required?   ___Yes   ___No
Is your college a member of the Common Application Group?   ___Yes   _X_No

Early Decision and Early Action Plans

C21. Early decision: Does your institution offer an early decision plan (an admission plan that permits students to apply and be notified of an admission decision well in advance of the regular notification date and that asks students to commit to attending if accepted) for first-time, first-year (freshman) applicants for fall enrollment?   ___Yes   _X_No

If "yes," please complete the following:  ___
First or only early decision plan closing date:  ___
First or only early decision plan notification date:  ___
Other early decision plan closing date:  ___
Other early decision plan notification date:  ___

For the Fall 2003 entering class:

Number of early decision applications received by your institution:  ___
Number of applicants admitted under early decision plan:  ___
Please provide significant details about your early decision plan:  ___

C22. Early action: Do you have a nonbinding early action plan whereby students are notified of an admission decision well in advance of the regular notification date but do not have to commit to attending your college?  _X_Yes   ___No

If "yes," please complete the following:
Early action closing date:  11/01
Early action notification date:  12/15

D. TRANSFER ADMISSION

Fall Applicants

D1. Does your institution enroll transfer students?  _X_Yes   ___No

(If no, please skip to Section E)

If yes, may transfer students earn advanced standing credit by transferring credits earned from course work completed at other colleges/universities?
  _X_Yes   ___No

D2. Provide the number of students who applied, were admitted, and enrolled as degree-seeking transfer students in fall 2003.

Application for Admission

D3. Indicate terms for which transfers may enroll:

_X_Fall   ___Winter   _X_Spring   ___Summer

D4. Must a transfer applicant have a minimum number of credits completed or else must apply as an entering freshman?

_X_Yes   ___No
If yes, what is the minimum number of credits and the unit of measure?  2 semesters of college but not more than 5 semesters

D5. Indicate all items required of transfer students to apply for admission:

D6. If a minimum high school grade point average is required of transfer applicants, specify (on a 4.0 scale):  ___

D7. If a minimum college grade point average is required of transfer applicants, specify (on a 4.0 scale):  3.5

D8. List any other application requirements specific to transfer applicants:
2 semesters calculus, 2 semesters calculus based physics, semester of biology, semester of chemistry (all at the college level)

D9. List application priority, closing, notification, and candidate reply dates for transfer students. If applications are reviewed on a continuous or rolling basis, place a check mark in the "Rolling admission" column.

D10. Does an open admission policy, if reported, apply to transfer students?  ___Yes   ___No

D11. Describe additional requirements for transfer admission, if applicable: ___

Transfer Credit Policies

D12. Report the lowest grade earned for any course that may be transferred for credit:  B

D13. Maximum number of credits or courses that may be transferred from a two-year institution:

Number:___   Unit type:  ___

D14. Maximum number of credits or courses that may be transferred from a four-year institution:

Number: 5   Unit type:  semesters

D15. Minimum number of credits that transfers must complete at your institution to earn an associate degree:  ___

D16. Minimum number of credits that transfers must complete at your institution to earn a bachelor's degree:  4 semesters

D17. Describe other transfer credit policies: ___

E. ACADEMIC OFFERINGS AND POLICIES

E1. Special study options: Identify those programs available at your institution. Refer to the glossary for definitions.

E3. Areas in which all or most students are required to complete some course work prior to graduation:

Library Collections

Report the number of holdings at the end of the 2002-03 fiscal year for each of the categories below. Refer to the Academic Libraries Survey, Section D "Library Collections," lines 22-26, column 2 for corresponding equivalents.

E4. Books, serial backfiles, and other paper materials (including government documents) [line 22]:  2,707,849
E5. Current serial subscriptions [line 26]:  22,597
E6. Microforms [line 24]:  2,367,273
E7. Audiovisual materials [line 25]:  596,928
E8. E-Books [line 23]:   ___

F. STUDENT LIFE

F1. Percentages of first-time, first-year (freshman) students and all degree-seeking undergraduates enrolled in fall 2003 who fit the following categories:

F2. Activities offered Identify those programs available at your institution.

F3. ROTC (program offered in cooperation with Reserve Officers' Training Corps)

Army ROTC is offered:

Naval ROTC is offered:

Air Force ROTC is offered:

F4. Housing: Check all types of college-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing available for undergraduates at your institution.

G. ANNUAL EXPENSES *

Provide 2004-2005 academic year costs of attendance for the following categories that are applicable to your institution.

__Check here if your institution's 2004-2005 academic year costs of attendance are not available at this time and provide an approximate date (i.e., month/day) when your institution's final 2004-2005 academic year costs of attendance will be available: 

G1. Undergraduate full-time tuition, required fees, room and board
List the typical tuition, required fees, and room and board for a full-time undergraduate student for the FULL 2004-2005 academic year (30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours for institutions that derive annual tuition by multiplying credit hour cost by number of credits). A full academic year refers to the period of time generally extending from September to June; usually equated to two semesters, two trimesters, three quarters, or the period covered by a four-one-four plan. Room and board is defined as double occupancy and 19 meals per week or the maximum meal plan. Required fees include only charges that all full-time students must pay that are not included in tuition (e.g., registration, health, or activity fees.) Do not include optional fees (e.g., parking, laboratory use).

Comprehensive tuition and room and board fee (if your college cannot provide separate tuition and room and board fees): ___

Other: 1,440 extended insurace required, can be waived

G2. Number of credits per term a student can take for the stated full-time tuition : 36 minimum  ___maximum

G3. Do tuition and fees vary by year of study (e.g., sophomore, junior, senior)? ___Yes   _X_No

G4. If tuition and fees vary by undergraduate instructional program, describe briefly: ___

G5. Provide the estimated expenses for a typical full-time undergraduate student:

G6. Undergraduate per-credit-hour charges:

*Corrected September 14, 2006

H. FINANCIAL AID

Aid Awarded to Enrolled Undergraduates

H1. Enter total dollar amounts awarded to enrolled full-time and less-than-full-time degree-seeking undergraduates (using the same cohort reported in CDS Question B1, "total degree-seeking" undergraduates) in the following categories. (Note: If the data being reported are final figures for the 2002-2003 academic year (see the next item below), use the 2002-2003 academic year's CDS Question B1 cohort.) Include aid awarded to international students (i.e., those not qualifying for federal aid). Aid that is non-need-based but that was used to meet need should be reported in the need-based aid columns. (For a suggested order of precedence in assigning categories of aid to cover need, see the entry for "non-need-based scholarship or grant aid" on the last page of the definitions section.)

Indicate the academic year for which data are reported for items H1, H2, H2A, and H6 below:
__2003-2004 estimated or  _X_2002-2003 final

H3: Which needs-analysis methodology does your institution use in awarding institutional aid?

H2. Number of Enrolled Students Awarded Aid: List the number of degree-seeking full-time and less-than-full-time undergraduates who applied for and were awarded financial aid from any source. Aid that is non-need-based but that was used to meet need should be counted as need-based aid. Numbers should reflect the cohort awarded the dollars reported in H1. Note: In the chart below, students may be counted in more than one row, and full-time freshmen should also be counted as full-time undergraduates.

H2A. Number of Enrolled Students Awarded Non-need-based Scholarships and Grants: List the number of degree-seeking full-time and less-than-full-time undergraduates who had no financial need and who were awarded institutional-not external-non-need-based scholarship or grant aid. Numbers should reflect the cohort awarded the dollars reported in H1. Note: In the chart below, students may be counted in more than one row, and full-time freshmen should also be counted as full-time undergraduates.

H3. Incorporated into H1 above.

H4. Provide the percentage of the 2003 undergraduate class who graduated between July 1, 2002 and June 30, 2003 and borrowed at any time through any loan programs (federal, state, subsidized, unsubsidized, private, etc.; exclude parent loans). Include only students who borrowed while enrolled at your institution.  54%

H5. Report the average per-borrower cumulative undergraduate indebtedness of those in line H4. Do not include money borrowed at other institutions: $20,580

Aid to Undergraduate Degree-seeking Nonresident Aliens (Note: Report numbers and dollar amounts for the same academic year checked in item H1.)

H6. Indicate your institution's policy regarding institutional scholarship or grant aid for undergraduate degree-seeking nonresident aliens:

If institutional financial aid is available for undergraduate degree-seeking nonresident aliens, provide the number of undergraduate degree-seeking nonresident aliens who were awarded need-based or non-need-based aid:  335

Average dollar amount of institutional financial aid awarded to undergraduate degree-seeking nonresident aliens: $33,369

Total dollar amount of institutional financial aid awarded to undergraduate degree-seeking nonresident aliens: $11,178,505

Process for First-Year/Freshman Students

H7. Check off all financial aid forms domestic first-year (freshman) financial aid applicants must submit:

H8. Check off all financial aid forms nonresident alien first-year financial aid applicants must submit:

H9. Indicate filing dates for first-year (freshman) students:

Priority date for filing required financial aid forms: ___
Deadline for filing required financial aid forms: 02/01
No deadline for filing required forms (applications processed on a rolling basis):  ___

H10. Indicate notification dates for first-year (freshman) students (answer a or b):

a) Students notified on or about (date):  03/15
b) Students notified on a rolling basis:  ___Yes   ___No     If yes, starting date: 

H11. Indicate reply dates:

Students must reply by (date): 05/01 or within ___ weeks of notification.

Types of Aid Available

Please check off all types of aid available to undergraduates at your institution:

H12. Loans

H13. Scholarships and Grants

H14. Check off criteria used in awarding institutional aid. Check all that apply.

I. INSTRUCTIONAL FACULTY AND CLASS SIZE

I-1. Please report the number of instructional faculty members in each category for Fall 2003.

The following definition of instructional faculty is used by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) in its annual Faculty Compensation Survey. Instructional Faculty is defined as those members of the instructional-research staff whose major regular assignment is instruction, including those with released time for research. Institutions are asked to EXCLUDE:
(a) instructional faculty in preclinical and clinical medicine
(b) administrative officers with titles such as dean of students, librarian, registrar, coach, and the like, even though they may devote part of their time to classroom instruction and may have faculty status,
(c) undergraduate or graduate students who assist in the instruction of courses, but have titles such as teaching assistant, teaching fellow, and the like
(d) faculty on leave without pay, and
(e) replacement faculty for faculty on sabbatical leave.

Full-time: faculty employed on a full-time basis
Part-time: faculty teaching less than two semesters, three quarters, two trimesters, or two four-month sessions. Also includes adjuncts and part-time instructors.
Minority faculty: includes faculty who designate themselves as black, non-Hispanic; American Indian or Alaskan native; Asian or Pacific Islander; or Hispanic.
Doctorate: includes such degrees as Doctor of Education, Doctor of Juridical Science, Doctor of Public Health, and Doctor of Philosophy degree in any field such as agronomy, food technology, education, engineering, public administration, ophtalmology, or radiology.
First-professional: includes the fields of dentistry (DDS or DMD), medicine (MD), optometry (OD), osteopathic medicine (DO), pharmacy (DPharm or BPharm), podiatric medicine (DPM), veterinary medicine (DBM), chiropractic (DC or DCM), law (JD) and theological professions (MDiv, MHL).
Terminal degree: the highest degree in a field: example, M.Arch (architecture) and MFA (Master of Fine Arts).

I-2. Student to Faculty Ratio

Report the Fall 2003 ratio of full-time equivalent students (full-time plus 1/3 part-time) to full-time equivalent instructional faculty (full-time plus 1/3 part-time). In the ratio calculations, exclude both faculty and students in stand-alone graduate or professional programs such as medicine, law, veterinary, dentistry, social work, business, or public health in which faculty teach virtually only graduate level students. Do not count undergraduate or graduate student teaching assistants as faculty.

Fall 2003 Student to Faculty ratio: 6 to 1.

I-3. Undergraduate Class Size

In the table below, please use the following definitions to report information about the size of classes and class sections offered in the Fall 2003 term.

Class Sections: A class section is an organized course offered for credit, identified by discipline and number, meeting at a stated time or times in a classroom or similar setting, and not a subsection such as a laboratory or discussion session. Undergraduate class sections are defined as any sections in which at least one degree-seeking undergraduate student is enrolled for credit. Exclude distance learning classes and noncredit classes and individual instruction such as dissertation or thesis research, music instruction, or one-to-one readings. Exclude students in independent study, co-operative programs, internships, foreign language taped tutor sessions, practicums, and all students in one-on-one classes. Each class section should be counted only once and should not be duplicated because of course catalog cross-listings.

Class Subsections: A class subsection includes any subsection of a course, such as laboratory, recitation, and discussion subsections that are supplementary in nature and are scheduled to meet separately from the lecture portion of the course. Undergraduate subsections are defined as any subsections of courses in which degree-seeking undergraduate students enrolled for credit. As above, exclude noncredit classes and individual instruction such as dissertation or thesis research, music instruction, or one-to-one readings. Each class subsection should be counted only once and should not be duplicated because of cross-listings.

Using the above definitions, please report for each of the following class-size intervals the number of class sections and class subsections offered in Fall 2003. For example, a lecture class with 800 students who met at another time in 40 separate labs with 20 students should be counted once in the "100+" column in the class section column and 40 times under the "20-29" column of the class subsections table.

Number of Class Sections with Undergraduates Enrolled

Undergraduate Class Size (provide numbers)

J. DEGREES CONFERRED

Degrees conferred between July 1, 2002 and June 30, 2003

Reference: IPEDS Completions, Part A

For each of the following discipline areas, provide the percentage of diplomas/certificates, associate, and bachelor's degrees awarded. 

Note: Diploma/Certificates and Associate degrees are not awarded by MIT. The columns have been omitted.

Common Data Set Definitions

All definitions related to the financial aid section appear at the end of the Definitions document.

Items preceded by an asterisk (*) represent definitions agreed to among publishers which do not appear on the CDS document but may be present on individual publishers' surveys.

* Academic advisement: Plan under which each student is assigned to a faculty member or a trained adviser, who, through regular meetings, helps the student plan and implement immediate and long-term academic and vocational goals.

Accelerated program: Completion of a college program of study in fewer than the usual number of years, most often by attending summer sessions and carrying extra courses during the regular academic term.

Admitted student: Applicant who is offered admission to a degree-granting program at your institution.

* Adult student services: Admission assistance, support, orientation, and other services expressly for adults who have started college for the first time, or who are re-entering after a lapse of a few years.

American Indian or Alaska Native: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North America and who maintains cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community recognition.

Applicant (first-time, first-year): An individual who has fulfilled the institution's requirements to be considered for admission (including payment or waiving of the application fee, if any) and who has been notified of one of the following actions: admission, nonadmission, placement on waiting list, or application withdrawn (by applicant or institution).

Application fee: That amount of money that an institution charges for processing a student's application for acceptance. This amount is not creditable toward tuition and required fees, nor is it refundable if the student is not admitted to the institution.

Asian or Pacific Islander: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East , Southeast Asia , the Indian Subcontinent, or Pacific Islands . This includes people from China , Japan , Korea , the Philippine Islands, American Samoa , India , and Vietnam .

Associate degree: An award that normally requires at least two but less than four years of full-time equivalent college work.

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

Black, non-Hispanic: A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa (except those of Hispanic origin).

Board (charges): Assume average cost for 19 meals per week or the maximum meal plan.

Books and supplies (costs): Average cost of books and supplies. Do not include unusual costs for special groups of students (e.g., engineering or art majors), unless they constitute the majority of students at your institution.

Calendar system: The method by which an institution structures most of its courses for the academic year.

* Career and placement services: A range of services, including (often) the following: coordination of visits of employers to campus; aptitude and vocational testing; interest inventories, personal counseling; help in resume writing, interviewing, launching the job search; listings for those students desiring employment and those seeking permanent positions; establishment of a permanent reference folder; career resource materials.

Carnegie units: One year of study or the equivalent in a secondary school subject.

Certificate: See Postsecondary award, certificate, or diploma.

Class rank: The relative numerical position of a student in his or her graduating class, calculated by the high school on the basis of grade-point average, whether weighted or unweighted.

College-preparatory program: Courses in academic subjects (English, history and social studies, foreign languages, mathematics, science, and the arts) that stress preparation for college or university study.

Common Application: The standard application form distributed by the National Association of Secondary School Principals for a large number of private colleges who are members of the Common Application Group.

* Community service program: Referral center for students wishing to perform volunteer work in the community or participate in volunteer activities coordinated by academic departments.

Commuter: A student who lives off campus in housing that is not owned by, operated by, or affiliated with the college. This category includes students who commute from home and students who have moved to the area to attend college.

Contact hour: A unit of measure that represents an hour of scheduled instruction given to students. Also referred to as clock hour.

Continuous basis (for program enrollment): A calendar system classification that is used by institutions that enroll students at any time during the academic year. For example, a cosmetology school or a word processing school might allow students to enroll and begin studies at various times, with no requirement that classes begin on a certain date.

Cooperative housing: College-owned, -operated, or -affiliated housing in which students share room and board expenses and participate in household chores to reduce living expenses.

Cooperative (work-study plan) program: A program that provides for alternate class attendance and employment in business, industry, or government.

* Counseling service: Activities designed to assist students in making plans and decisions related to their education, career, or personal development.

Credit: Recognition of attendance or performance in an instructional activity (course or program) that can be applied by a recipient toward the requirements for a degree, diploma, certificate, or other formal award.

Credit course: A course that, if successfully completed, can be applied toward the number of courses required for achieving a degree, diploma, certificate, or other formal award.

Credit hour: A unit of measure representing an hour (50 minutes) of instruction over a 15-week period in a semester or trimester system or a 10-week period in a quarter system. It is applied toward the total number of hours needed for completing the requirements of a degree, diploma, certificate, or other formal award.

Cross-registration: A system whereby students enrolled at one institution may take courses at another institution without having to apply to the second institution.

Deferred admission: The practice of permitting admitted students to postpone enrollment, usually for a period of one academic term or one year.

Degree: An award conferred by a college, university, or other postsecondary education institution as official recognition for the successful completion of a program of studies.

Degree-seeking students: Students enrolled in courses for credit who are recognized by the institution as seeking a degree or formal award. At the undergraduate level, this is intended to include students enrolled in vocational or occupational programs.

Differs by program (calendar system):