Common Data Set 2022-2023
First professional degree: An award in one of the following fields: Chiropractic (DC, DCM), dentistry (DDS, DMD), medicine (MD),
optometry (OD), osteopathic medicine (DO), rabbinical and Talmudic studies (MHL, Rav), Pharmacy (BPharm, PharmD), podiatry
(PodD, DP, DPM), veterinary medicine (DVM), law (LLB, JD), divinity/ministry (BD, MDiv).
First-time student: A student attending any institution for the first time at the level enrolled. Includes students enrolled in the fall term
who attended a postsecondary institution for the first time at the same level in the prior summer term. Also includes students who
entered with advanced standing (college credit earned before graduation from high school).
First-time, first-year student: A student attending any institution for the first time at the undergraduate level. Includes students
enrolled in the fall term who attended college for the first time in the prior summer term. Also includes students who entered with
advanced standing (college credits earned before graduation from high school).
First-year student: A student who has completed less than the equivalent of 1 full year of undergraduate work; that is, less than 30
semester hours (in a 120-hour degree program) or less than 900 clock hours.
Freshman: A first-year undergraduate student.
*Freshman/new student orientation: Orientation addressing the academic, social, emotional, and intellectual issues involved in
beginning college. May be a few hours or a few days in length; at some colleges, there is a fee.
Full-time student (undergraduate): A student enrolled for 12 or more semester credits, 12 or more quarter credits, or 24 or more
clock hours a week each term.
Geographical residence (as admission factor): Special consideration in the admission process given to students from a particular
region, state, or country of residence.
Grade-point average (academic high school GPA): The sum of grade points a student has earned in secondary school divided by the
number of courses taken. The most common system of assigning numbers to grades counts four points for an A, three points for a B,
two points for a C, one point for a D, and no points for an E or F. Unweighted GPA’s assign the same weight to each course. Weighting
gives students additional points for their grades in advanced or honors courses.
Graduate student: A student who holds a bachelor’s or equivalent, and is taking courses at the post-baccalaureate level.
*Health services: Free or low cost on-campus primary and preventive health care available to students.
High school diploma or recognized equivalent: A document certifying the successful completion of a prescribed secondary school
program of studies, or the attainment of satisfactory scores on the Tests of General Educational Development (GED), or another state-
specified examination.
Hispanic: A person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of
race.
Honors program: Any special program for very able students offering the opportunity for educational enrichment, independent study,
acceleration, or some combination of these.
Independent study: Academic work chosen or designed by the student with the approval of the department concerned, under an
instructor’s supervision, and usually undertaken outside of the regular classroom structure.
In-state tuition: The tuition charged by institutions to those students who meet the state’s or institution’s residency requirements.
International student: See Nonresident.
Internship: Any short-term, supervised work experience usually related to a student’s major field, for which the student earns
academic credit. The work can be full- or part-time, on- or off-campus, paid or unpaid.
*Learning center: Center offering assistance through tutors, workshops, computer programs, or audiovisual equipment in reading,
writing, math, and skills such as taking notes, managing time, taking tests.
*Legal services: Free or low cost legal advice for a range of issues (personal and other).
Liberal arts/career combination: Program in which a student earns undergraduate degrees in two separate fields, one in a liberal arts
major and the other in a professional or specialized major, whether on campus or through cross-registration.