CollegeLingo Acronyms

In higher education, we love our acronyms.  It seems we have an acronym for almost everything, but do acronyms create barriers for our students?  Here is a list of higher ed acronyms, which we will continue to build with your help. To submit a new acronym to our list, go to our acronym blog and add it in the comments.

A.A: Associate of Arts 

ABE: Adult Basic Education

ACT: American College Test

ADA: Americans with Disabilities Act

ALEKS: Assessment and Learning in Knowledge Spaces 

ALP: Accelerated Learning Program

AP: Advanced Placement

A.S: Associate of Science

A.A.S: Associate of Applied Science

A.G.S: Associate of General Studies 

AWE: Adult Workforce Education

B.A: Bachelor of Arts 

B.S: Bachelor of Science degree

CBE: Credit by Exam

CLEP: College Level Examination Program

CE/SL: Civic engagement/service learning component

Coreq: Corequisite

CPX: Clinical Performance Exam

CRM: Customer Relationship Management

CRN: Course Reference Number

CSTEP: Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program 

DEEDS: Dynamic Education and Engagement of Diverse Students

DEI: Diversity, equity and Inclusion

DEO: Department of Education

DVF: Dependent Verification Form

EFC: Expected Family Contribution

ELL: English Language Learner

ESOL: English Speakers of Other Languages

FAFSA: Free Application for Federal Student Aid 

FERPA: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

FOIPOP: Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act

FTE:  Full-Time Equivalent

FTIC: First Time In College

FT/PT: Full-Time/Part-Time

FYE:  Freshman Year Experience

GA: Graduate Assistant

GED: General Education Development 

GPA: Grade Point Average

GPI: Great Place Initiative

GRE: Graduate Record Exam

GTF: Graduate Teaching Fellow

HEOP: Higher Education Opportunity Program

HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996

HTML: HyperText Markup Language

IB: International Baccalaureate

ID: Identification Card

ISA: International Student Adviser

IVF: Independent Verification Form

Lab.: Laboratory

Lect.: Lecture

LMS: Learning Management System

LSAT: Law School Admission Test

M.A: Master of Arts

MBA: Masters of Business Administration

MCAT: Medical College Admission Test

M.D: Medical Degree

MPN: Master Promissory Note

M.S: Master of Science

MTF: Maximum Time Frame

MWF: Monday, Wednesday, Friday

NSLDS: National Student Loan Data System for Students

OSCE: Objective Structured Clinical Exam

PDF: Portable Document Format

Ph.D: Doctoral Degree 

PJ: Professional Judgement

Prereq.: Prerequisite

RA: Research Assistant

RCM: Responsibility-Centered Management

SAP: Satisfactory Academic Progress

SAT: Scholastic Aptitude Test

SF/TF: Smoke-Free, Tobacco-Free

SIS: Student Information Systems

SOARS: Strategic Opportunity for Academic Reach and Success

SP: Standardized Placement

SSN: Social Security Number

SURE: Student Undergraduate Research Experience

TA: Teacher’s Assistant

TR: Tuesday & Thursday

UR: Under-Represented