Glossary of Terms

Sections

Financial Aid

Award Notification/Letter– Your award letter (also called financial aid notification) is a document from the Financial Aid Office that shows the types and amounts of financial aid that you’ve received. Your notification from McMurry will also include a breakdown of your costs after those awards.
Cost of Attendance (COA)– Cost of attendance is the total amount to attend a college, including tuition, fees, room and board, along with estimates on books, supplies, personal transportation, and any other expenses that could be related to your education.
EFC– Expected Family Contribution – Your EFC is the amount that you and your family can expect to pay for one year of college, based on your FAFSA. This doesn’t mean that you will be guaranteed to pay that amount, but instead it’s just what the federal government is estimating for you. Your EFC determines what grants and loans you’re eligible for.
Entrance Counseling– Entrance counseling is a step to accept your federal direct loans that explains how your loans work, your rights with your loans, and your obligations with accepting them.
FAFSA– Free Application for Federal Student Aid – The FAFSA is a free application to see if you could be eligible for need-based financial aid from the federal or state government.
Fees– Fees are charges not specifically tied to your class costs, including costs for orientations, etc.
Financial Aid– Financial aid is money to help pay for college.
Financial Need– Financial need is the difference between your EFC and the cost of attendance.
FSA ID– Your FSA ID is the username and password you’ll use to access the FAFSA and other online accounts through the Department of Education. Both you and a parent/guardian will need an ID, and your ID will stay the same throughout your entire college career.
Grant– A grant is a type of financial aid that is awarded based on your financial need. We determine your eligibility for grants automatically when you submit a FAFSA. Grants are free money that you do not have to pay back. Common grants include the PELL grant, TEG, and SEOG.
Independent Student– A student who can file the FAFSA as independent must be one of the following: 24 years old, married, a graduate student working on a master’s degree, a veteran or member of the armed services, an orphan, a ward of the court, someone with legal dependents, an emancipated minor, or someone who is or is at risk of being homeless. If you do not meet any of these requirements, you must file the FAFSA as dependent and include parent/guardian information.
Interest– Interest is the cost of borrowing money through a loan, paid as a fee added onto the total loan amount.
Loan– Loans are a form of financial aid available to both students and their families that must be repaid. Most loans don’t require any payments to be made until the student finishes school. Anyone who files a FAFSA will be eligible for at least one type of loan, but additional loans can be taken out with the help of the Financial Aid Office.
- Federal Direct Loan – The most basic student loan, Direct Loans are loans where you as a student borrow directly from the federal government.
- PLUS Loan (or Parent PLUS Loan) – PLUS Loans are loans that parents of dependent students can take from the federal government to help pay for their students’ education.
- Subsidized – Subsidized loans do not accrue interest while the student is in school.
- Unsubsidized – Unsubsidized loans begin building interest as soon as the loan is taken out.
Master Promissory Note (MPN)– An MPN is an official document that formally accepts a student loan and shows the terms and conditions for repaying that loan.
Merit-Based Aid– Financial aid given based on something other than financial need, including academics, athletics, fine arts, or other extracurricular involvement.
Need-Based Aid– Financial aid given based on your family’s income is considered “need-based.” Instead of being based off of your grades or involvement, it is based completely on your financial need.
Net Price Calculator– A net price calculator is an online tool to help you estimate the price of a college after answering a few questions.
Prior-Prior Year– The FAFSA uses your tax information from two years before the year you start classes, or the prior-prior year. For example, students graduating high school and starting college in 2022 will use tax information from 2020.
Room & Board– Room and board is a general term to include the costs of living on-campus and having a meal plan to eat in a college’s dining hall.
Scholarship– Scholarships are typically awarded based on merit. For example, all new students will receive a merit-based scholarship based on your high school weighted GPA or your cumulative college GPA. A scholarship is free money that you do not have to pay back. Scholarships can be awarded to you from McMurry or an outside organization like your church or another non-profit.
Special Circumstances– If your financial situation has changed drastically since the year of the tax information on your FAFSA (2020 for a student starting college in 2022), the Financial Aid Office can talk through your situation to see if you may be eligible for a special circumstances review. This is not a process to be taken lightly, so our Financial Aid Office will walk you through seeing if it will be worth your time and effort.
TASFA– Texas Application for State Financial Aid – The TASFA is a free application to see if you could be eligible for need-based financial aid from the Texas state government for students who aren’t eligible to file a FAFSA. If you are a U.S. citizen living in Texas, you will only have to fill out the FAFSA. If you are not a U.S. citizen and are living in Texas, the TASFA is for you!
Tuition– Tuition is the amount of money to attend classes and use facilities at a college.
Verification– Verification is a process that some students are selected for to confirm the information on your FAFSA is accurate and that you are receiving the most exact financial aid package possible. Being selected for verification just means you’ll need to submit additional documentation to finalize your financial aid process.
Work Study– Federal work study is a program for students with financial need to work a part-time job either on-campus or with a local organization. Funds are paid to the student as a salary for working the job and can be designated to go toward that student’s tuition. Non-work study jobs are available on-campus for students who are not eligible for the federal program.

Admission

Admission Counselor – An Admission Counselor is a dedicated college staff member whose job is to help new students through the college application, admission, and decision-making process. Each student has a dedicated Admission Counselor who is the main person there to help with any questions about the college or process.
Admission Decision – A student’s decision is what the school has decided to offer him/her based on the application and additional materials. The most common decisions are admission or denial.
Admission/Admitted – Admission to a university means that we believe that you will be successful as a student and are offering you the opportunity to enroll and attend!
Admitted on Probation – A student who is admitted on probation is offered the opportunity to enroll but also has specific
Applicant – Applicants are students who have submitted applications to a school.
Application – An application is a form a student completes to begin the process of starting classes at that school, usually with basic contact information, extracurricular activities, and academic information.
Application Fee – An application fee is sometimes charged by colleges when a student submits an application to the school.
Application Portal – The application portal is a webpage where a student can log in and view their application, checklist, decision, and links to helpful information that the student will use to enroll in classes.
ApplyTexas – ApplyTexas is a Texas-based college application that can be sent to multiple schools in Texas at the same time. However, not all colleges in Texas are included.
Articulation Agreement – An articulation agreement is a plan between two colleges, usually a community college and a university, to guarantee that the classes a student takes at one school will count toward their degree at the other. Not all colleges will have articulation agreements, but they can help students who know they’ll be transferring to take classes they know will transfer!
Class Rank – Your class rank shows your academic performance as compared to the other students in your class. If you have better grades than 50% of your classmates, you would be in the top half of your class.
College/Campus Visit – A college visit is an opportunity for a prospective student and his/her family to visit a school. The visit typically includes a tour of campus and meetings with the college’s staff, including coaches, and professors.
College/Campus Visit – A college visit is an opportunity for a prospective student and his/her family to visit a school. The visit typically includes a tour of campus and meetings with the college’s staff, including coaches, and professors.
Denial – A student who receives a denial decision (or has been denied) is not offered admission. However, being denied once doesn’t keep a student from reapplying for a later term and possibly being admitted then!
Dual Credit – Dual credit courses are college classes that are offered to high school students, typically in their junior and senior years, to earn credit for both their high school classes and college classes.
Early Action – Early Action is a soft deadline for students to apply and be admitted by a date early in the school year. This deadline doesn’t commit a student to attend, but just give them early advantages of knowing their admission, receiving financial aid, etc.
Entrance Exams – Entrance exams are tests that many college use to see your readiness for college. The ACT and SAT are two of the most popular exams.
Extracurriculars – Extracurricular activities are anything a student is involved in through school or other community groups that isn’t tied to a class. This can include athletics, fine arts groups, church groups, community service, or anything similar.
First-Time Freshmen – First-time freshmen are students who are starting college classes after graduating from high school for the first time. Even if you have taken dual credit classes while in high school, you are still considered a freshman when applying for college.
Gap Year – A gap year takes place if a student graduates one year, but waits to start college until the next.
GPA (Grade Point Average) – Your GPA is the overall average of all your grades throughout your entire high school or college career.
International Student – International students are students who are citizens of and have their main resident in a country outside the U.S. These students will need a visa to travel to and attend school in the U.S. If you are living in the U.S. and attending school without a visa or as a permanent resident, you will not be considered an international student.
Letter of Recommendation – A letter of recommendation is a common application item where a teacher, supervisor, coach, or someone else who knows you well describes how your skills and personality would make you successful or a good fit at a college.
Post-Baccalaureate (Post-Bacc) – Post-Bacc students are students who’ve graduated with a bachelor’s degree but are enrolling to take more classes at the undergraduate level.
Prospective Student – A prospective student is one who is considering a college but doesn’t attend yet.
Rolling Admission – Rolling admission means that universities, like McMurry, don’t wait for set deadlines to review and decide on students’ applications, we process them as they come in. This means that the sooner you send in your application and any required items, we will process them and get back with you ASAP!
Student Visa – A student visa is a federal requirement needed for students who are not citizens of the US, not currently living in the US without a visa, and are only coming to the US to attend schools
Test Optional – Test optional admission means that a university, like McMurry, does not requires college entrance exam (like the SAT and ACT) scores to be accepted. If you believe that your test scores are a good representation of who you are as a student, then you’re welcome to send them in! If you weren’t able to take a test or just don’t want to submit your scores, that won’t prevent you being admitted.
Transcript – A transcript is a school’s record of a student’s academic work. A high school transcript will list all classes taken freshman through senior year with grades for each class. A college transcript will list each class a student takes by the semester in which it was taken.
Transfer – Transfers are students who enrolled at a college after graduating from high school and are applying to attend a new school. Military members are also considered transfer students at McMurry, even if they haven’t enrolled at another college, because they can often receive credit from a Joint Services transcript.
Transfer Credits – Transfer credits are credits for classes a student has taken at another college or university that will count toward their program or degree at their current school. Transfer credits may come from dual credit classes or classes the student has taken as a college student after graduating from high school and are officially awarded after the current school has received transcripts from the previous colleges a student has attended.
Transient – A transient student is someone currently enrolled in a college who needs to take one or two classes at another college. Transient students only take those few classes and continue in their degree at their original college.
Virtual Tour – A virtual tour is a look at a college’s campus without being on campus. These can be interactive, with video calls, or simply a digital map of campus with images or videos to show you what campus looks and feels like.
Weighted GPA – Your weighted GPA is just like your overall GPA except it adds additional points for each Honors-level class you’ve taken (AP, dual credit, IB). Each Honors class gives you a slight bump because of the difficulty of those classes.

General

Academic Advisor – An Academic Advisor is a student’s main contact about their classes, program, and progress toward graduation and will help the student register for classes each semester. The advisor can be a professor in the student’s major area or a staff member.
Academic Year – An academic year is one complete school year. Your financial aid is typically awarded by academic year, from the start of the Fall semester in August until either the end of the Spring semester in May or the end of the Summer semesters in July.
Commuter Student – A commuter student is one who is enrolled in classes but doesn’t live on-campus.
Core Curriculum – Core curriculum are classes that all students take as the core of their academic work. These classes are spread across a variety of areas to give the student a foundation in multiple subjects.
Credit/Hour – Credit, hour, and credit hour are different terms for a number of credits that a student is given for attending class. The number of credits for a class is usually equal to the amount of time the class will meets each week. Most college courses are three credits, which means the average course will meet for three hours each week.
Double Major – A student who double majors has two major fields of study where they take a large amount of classes in two areas.
Elective – An elective is a class that a student isn’t required to take but that they choose.
Enrollment – Enrollment happens when a student officially signs up for classes at a school.
First-Generation Student – A first-generation student is one whose parents didn’t complete a four-year degree.
Full-Time/Part-Time – A full-time student takes a full course load, normally at least four or five courses (12-15 hours) each semester. A part-time student takes less than the full-time amount.
Graduate – Graduate students are students who have graduated with a bachelor’s degree and are enrolled in a program to earn a master’s or doctorate degree.
Intramurals – Intramurals are sports for students at a college to compete against each other. There are typically dozens of intramural sports that compete each year, and students can participate in as many as they’d like!
Major – A student’s major is the field of study where he/she is focusing on.
Minor – A student’s minor is a secondary field of study where a student takes some classes, but not as many as in the major.
Non-Citizen Other – For McMurry’s purposes, a non-citizen other is a student who is living in the US without a visa or citizenship status. Non-citizens are welcomed at McMurry, and a student’s citizenship is not a factor in making admission decisions.
Orientation – Orientation is typically an event where new students are welcomed into the campus community and become more familiar with academics and campus life. This can take place the summer before starting classes or just before classes start.
Placement Test – Placement tests are used by our Academic Advising Office to help with placing you into the classes that best fit you in your first semester.
Prerequisite – A prerequisite is a class that a student is required to take before taking another class. For example, Chemistry 2 might have a prerequisite of Chemistry 1, which would require a student to take the first Chemistry course before taking the second.
RA – Resident Assistant – An RA is a current student leader, typically a junior or senior, who lives in the residence halls to help younger students and enforce rules.
RD – Resident Director – An RD is a staff member who lives in the residence halls with students and helps to manage the hall, provide leadership for students, and help with building community with students in the hall.
Residence Hall – Residence halls (or dormitories) are the housing spaces that a college provides students to live in while they are enrolled in classes.
Semester – A semester is an academic term where the full school year is broken down into parts, such as Fall or Spring. Classes only last for that semester’s length. For example, a class in the Fall semester will only last from August to December.
SOAR – Student Orientation and Registration – SOAR is McMurry’s registration and orientation event that takes place the summer before students start classes. At SOAR, new freshmen register for their classes, meet with Financial Aid, and learn more about campus life and academics at McMurry.
Undergraduate – Undergraduate students are students enrolled in a college and working toward an associate’s degree (typically two-year), bachelor’s degree (four- or five-year), or technical program. A student who hasn’t graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree will almost always be Undergraduate.
Welcome Week – Welcome Week is the first week new students are on campus before the Fall semester starts. Beginning with new student move-in, Welcome Week is designed to help you feel more comfortable on campus and build a connection with other incoming students and the McMurry community as a whole.

Glossary of Terms

Sections

Financial Aid

Admission

General

Offices