KnowHow2Transfer
Kentucky Transfer Students - Glossary of Transfer Terminology
Learn transfer terminology! The more you know, the better you will understand how to navigate your path to graduation.
A
AA - Associate in Arts.
AARTS - Army/American Council on Education Registry Transcript System.
AAS - Associate in Applied Science.
ACE military credit - credit you receive toward your degree from previous training as a member of the United States Military (Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Department of Defense, and Marine Corps).
AS - Associate in Science.
Admission GPA - the GPA as re-calculated by the institution you are applying to - the GPA that the admission decision is based on.
Associate degree - up to a 3-year program in applied science (AAS) or applied technology (AAT) in tech majors meant to lead directly to a job. Typically, courses do not transfer to a 4-year degree. Or, up to a 3-year program of associate of arts (AA) or science (AS) in programs that can transfer to 4-year colleges and lead to a bachelor's degree.
B
Bachelor's degree - a program lasting 4 to 5 years, including general education, a major, and electives leading to degrees like a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in the humanities and arts or a Bachelor of Science (BS) in the natural sciences or professional/technical fields.
C
Category certified - students in good academic standing who have completed some, but not all, of the five area categories in the 33-hour Core Component.
Conversion scholarships/loans - scholarships that require you to provide certain services for a period of time after you graduate. In Kentucky, these include the KHEAA Teacher Scholarship and the Osteopathic Medicine Scholarship.
Co-op programs - opportunities where you can see and experience first-hand what that career field will actually be like.
Core certified - students in good academic standing who have completed all of the area categories - the core component - for a total of 33 hours.
E
Experiential credit transfer - a process whereby students can receive credit for learning that has occurred in a non-standard or non-traditional environment. Not all institutions grant transfer credit for experiential credit.
F
FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
Free elective courses - the elective requirement can be filled by taking any course desired.
Fully general education certified - students in good academic standing who have completed a general education program of 48 semester hours, which includes the 33-hour core and all additional institutional-specific general education courses.
G
General education certifications - consists of three levels: category certified, core certified, and fully general education certified. Students can complete general education courses in categories, as a core component and as a complete general education program.
General education courses - courses designed to introduce students to the fundamental knowledge, skills and vales essential to the study of academic disciplines; in some instances any prerequisite or supporting course requirements for the major can be taken and counted as general education requirements.
Grants - awards based on need that do not need to be repaid. The main grant programs are the Federal Pell Grant (PELL), Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), College Access Program (CAP) Grant and Kentucky Tuition Grant (KTG).
K
KY CAS - Kentucky Course Applicability System. Used to determine how each individual course will transfer.
M
Major requirement course - courses within your major or field of study. They include introductory and advanced courses in your field of study and, in some cases, internships and practicum experiences.
Military benefits - financial assistance offered to individuals (or their dependents) who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
N
National Service Award - an award received for education expenses in return for national or community service, such as AmeriCorps.
P
Prepaid tuition - A contract guaranteeing fully-paid tuition for a fid number of credit hours at a participating school. You have to pay a certain amount up front. Kentucky's Affordable Prepaid Tuition (KAPT) is such a program. Kentucky also has a college-savings program, the Kentucky Education Savings Plan Trust (KESPT).
R
Restricted electives - courses or choices among a specified list of courses.
S
Scholarships - awards based on some kind of special achievement, either academic, athletic or service. These are merit-based and do not need to be repaid. The Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES) is the major state scholarship. Many schools and local organizations also provide scholarships.
Student loans - money borrowed, either from a bank, the government, or a school. A student loan must be repaid, but repayment doesn't start until you've either left school or graduated.. The major loan programs are Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Stafford Loans and Federal PLUS Loans (for parents).
T
Transfer school - the school to which a student transfers to complete their bachelor's degree.
W
Waivers - arrangements offered by some schools to eliminate certain costs for students who meet certain qualifications. These include waivers for dependents of deceased or disabled veterans, for foster children, and for senior citizens.
Work-study - part-time employment that lets a student earn money toward a college education either on or off campus. This can be through the Federal Work-Study Program, the KHEAA Work-Study Program, or a college's work-study program.
