Data Dictionary

Definitions of Data Elements

The table below is TTU's central repository of terms and data field definitions that are shared across the campus. These data elements are used to define metrics, key performance indicators, and other institutional calculations. If you are unable to find a description of a data element you are looking for, please contact us.

Sources:

~ The Common Data Set
~ IPEDS Glossary
~ Delaware Cost Study
~ TTU Faculty Handbook

Data Element	Definition
Academic program	An instructional program leading towards an associate’s, bachelors, masters or doctoral degree or resulting in credits that can be applied to one of these degrees.
Academic rank	Categorization of faculty positions, which include tenured, tenure-track and non-tenure-track positions. Tenured and tenure-track positions are assistant professor, associate professor and professor; non-tenure-track positions are instructor, lecturer (including senior and distinguished distinctions), research assistant professor, research associate professor, research professor, clinical professorships and adjunct teaching appointments. Please refer to the UTC Faculty Handbook, Chapter 3: Appointment, Evaluation, Promotion, Tenure, and Termination.
Accrediting agencies/bodies	Organizations that establish operating standards for educational or professional institutions and programs, determine the extent to which the standards are met and publicly announce their findings.
ACT	Previously known as the American College Testing program, this test measures educational development and readiness to pursue college-level coursework in English, mathematics, natural science and social studies. Student performance does not reflect innate ability and is influenced by a student's educational preparedness.
Admitted student	Applicants that have been granted an official offer to enroll in a postsecondary institution.
Age	Student's age as of term of enrollment.
American Indian	A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) who maintains cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community attachment.
Applicant	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has been notified of one of the following actions: admission, nonadmission, placement on waiting list, or application withdrawn by applicant or institution.
Asian	A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian Subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand and Vietnam.
Assistant professor	Faculty who meet the following requirements: doctorate or equivalent degree; demonstrated ability as a teacher or librarian or potential for that activity; demonstrated evidence of research ability and scholarly or professional promise; demonstrated ability to relate effectively to students and professional colleagues.
Associate professor	Faculty who meet the following requirements: doctorate or equivalent degree; good reputation as a teacher or librarian; good record in research and scholarly or professional attainment; established record of effective participation in professional activities other than teaching and research; demonstrated ability to relate effectively to students and professional colleagues.
Audit	Term used when a student elects to take a course, but does not wish to receive credit for the course toward a degree or other formal award.
Awarded Aid	The dollar amounts offered to financial aid applicants.
Bachelor's degree	An award (baccalaureate or equivalent degree, as determined by the Secretary, U.S. Department of Education) that normally requires at least 4, but not more than 5 years, of full-time equivalent college-level work. This includes all bachelor's degrees conferred in a 5-year cooperative (work-study) 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 includes bachelor's degrees in which the normal 4 years of work are completed in 3 years.
Black or African American	A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.
Board plan	The method for providing meals to students during an academic year. Plans may include a specific charge for a specified number of meals per week or a specified amount against which students may charge their meals.
Books and Supplies	The average cost of books and supplies for a typical student for an entire academic year (or program). Does not include unusual costs for special groups of students (e.g., engineering or art majors), unless they constitute the majority of students at an institution.
Books authored	Number of single-author or joint-author books or monographs written by faculty and published by an academic or commercial press.
Books edited	Number of books, collections and monographs edited by faculty.
Calendar year	Twelve month period running from January 1 through December 31.
Campus residency	Designates whether student was off-campus or, if on-campus, lists dorm of residency.
Census or Freeze date	Fourteenth calendar date from the beginning of classes, including day on which classes begin, for spring and fall terms. The census date for summer is at the end of term.
Certificate	A formal award certifying the satisfactory completion of a postsecondary education program.
CIP Code	A six-digit code (in the form xx.xxxx) that identifies instructional program specialties within educational institutions. A CIP code is assigned to each degree program at the time it is established.
Citizenship	Citizenship status; ex: Non U.S. Citizen, U.S. Citizen, Permanent Resident.
Classification	Based on cumulative hours earned; ex: Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior, Master's Candidate.
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP)	A standard numerical and terminological classification system for secondary and postsecondary instructional programs. CIP codes are used by universities nationally to report various instructional program data to the U. S. Department of Education and other government and higher education organizations. The CIP is the accepted federal government statistical standard on instructional program classifications and is used in a variety of education information surveys and databases.
Cohort	A specific group of students established for tracking purposes.
College	College of a course, program of study or degree awarded.
Common Data Set (CDS)	Standardized method of compiling and reporting of information by academic institutions. Information presented in the CDS includes: enrollments and degrees conferred, profile of first-year students, statistics and policies on transfers, academic offerings and policies, student life, annual expenses, financial aide, faculty and class sizes.
Comparison group	A group of peer institutions used for comparison purposes.
Completer	A student who receives a degree, diploma, certificate or other formal award. In order to be considered a completer, the degree/award must actually be conferred.
Completers within 150% of normal time	Students who completed their program within 150% of the normal (or expected) time for completion.
Contact hour	A unit of measurement that represents an hour of scheduled instruction given to students.
Cost per SCH	Total end of year expenditures (departmental expenditures + fall and spring adjunct salaries) divided by total student credit hours generated (fall and spring) by department.
County	County of residency
Course credit	Hours of credit for an individual course.
Course enrollment	Number of students enrolled in each course as of the census data for the semester.
Course level	Level of a course (lower level UG, upper level UG, masters level, doctoral level).
Course number	4-digit number of a course.
Course title	Title of a course.
Credit hour	A unit of measure representing the equivalent of an hour of instruction per week over the entire term. It is applied toward the total number of credit hours needed for completing the requirements of a degree, diploma, certificate or other formal award.
CRN	Course reference number; unique 5 digit code assigned to each section and/or course, specific to term.
Deferred admission	The practice of permitting admitted students to postpone enrollment, usually for a period of one academic term or one year. Admitted students are allowed to defer admission for one semester.
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 name	Full name of degree and program awarded.
Degree type	Type of degree awarded; ex: BA, BS.
Degree-seeking students	Students enrolled in courses for credit and recognized by the institution as seeking a degree, certificate, or other formal award. High school students also enrolled in postsecondary courses for credit are not considered degree/certificate-seeking.
Delaware Cost Study	National study of academic productivity and costs. Teaching loads can be broken into three categories of faculty used by UTC: tenured and tenure-track, non-tenure-track, and adjunct or supplemental faculty.
Department	Department of a course, program of study or degree awarded.
Departmental salary	Total salaries budgeted or paid out within a department. Includes faculty, staff and student salaries.
Diploma	A formal document certifying the successful completion of a prescribed program of studies.
Distance education	Education that uses one or more technologies to deliver instruction to students who are separated from the instructor and to support regular and substantive interaction between the students and the instructor synchronously or asynchronously. Technologies used for instruction may include the following: Zoom, Teams, Internet; one-way or two-way transmissions through open broadcasts, closed circuit, cable, microwave, broadband lines, fiber optics, satellite or wireless communication devices; audio/video conferencing.
Distance learning	An option for earning course credit at off-campus locations via cable television, Internet, satellite classes, videotapes, correspondence courses or other means.
Doctoral level	All doctoral level courses (7000 - 7999 course numbers).
Doctor's degree	Highest award a student can earn for graduate study. The doctor's degree classification includes such degrees as Doctor of Education, Doctor of Nursing Practice and Doctor of Philosophy.
Double major	Program in which students may complete two undergraduate programs of study simultaneously.
Dual credit	A program through which high school students are enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) courses taught at their high school that fulfill high school graduation requirements and may earn the student college credits.
Dual enrollment	A program through which high school students may enroll in college courses while still enrolled in high school. Students are not required to apply for admission to the college in order to participate.
Exclusions	Students who may be removed (deleted) from a cohort or subcohort. For the Graduation Rates and Fall Enrollment retention rate reporting, students may be removed from a cohort if they left the institution for one of the following reasons: death or total and permanent disability; service in the armed forces (including those called to active duty); service with a foreign aid service of the federal government, such as the Peace Corps; or service on official church missions.
External grant funds	Funds awarded through various internal an external agencies. Data comes from Research & Economic Development and Sponsored Programs annual reports.
External scholarships and grants	Scholarships and grants received from outside (private) sources that students bring with them (e.g., Kiwanis, National Merit scholarships). The institution may process paperwork to receive the dollars, but it has no role in determining the recipient or the dollar amount awarded.
Faculty	Persons whose initial assignments are made for the purpose of conducting instruction, research or public service as a principal activity (or activities). They may hold academic rank titles of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, instructor, lecturer or the equivalent of any of those academic ranks. Faculty may also include the chancellor/president, provost, vice provosts, deans, directors or the equivalent, as well as associate deans, assistant deans and executive officers of academic departments (chairpersons, heads or the equivalent) if their principal activity is instruction combined with research and/or public service. The designation as "faculty" is separate from the activities to which they may be currently assigned. For example, a newly appointed president of an institution may also be appointed as a faculty member.
Fall cohort	Group of students entering in the fall term established for tracking purposes. For the Graduation Rates component, this includes all students who enter an institution as full-time, first-time degree or certificate-seeking undergraduate students during the fall term of a given year.
Financial aid	Grants, loans, assistantships, scholarships, fellowships, tuition waivers, tuition discounts, veteran's benefits, employer aid (tuition reimbursement) and other monies (other than from relatives/friends) provided to students to meet expenses. This includes Title IV subsidized and unsubsidized loans made directly to students.
Financial aid applicant	Any applicant who submits any one of the institutionally required financial aid applications/forms, such as the FAFSA.
Financial need	As determined by your institution using the federal methodology and/or your institution's own standards.
First-time graduate	A student who has not previously enrolled for work creditable toward an advanced degree at any university, and who is enrolled for work creditable toward such a degree. A first-time graduate student may be a full-time or part-time student.
First-time undergraduate	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 and students who entered with advanced standing (college credits earned before graduation from high school).
Fiscal year	Twelve-month period running from July 1st through the following June 30th. For degrees awarded reporting, the terms included are Summer, Fall and Spring. For example: FY 2014 would include Summer 2013, Fall 2013 and Spring 2014.
Four-year institution	A postsecondary institution that offers programs of at least 4 years duration or one that offers programs at or above the baccalaureate level. Includes schools that offer postbaccalaureate certificates only or those that offer graduate programs only. Also includes free-standing medical, law or other first-professional schools.
FT/PT status	Undergraduate: Full-time status for undergraduate students is equal to or greater than 12 SCH, whereas part-time status for undergraduates is less than 12 SCH. Graduate: Full-time status for graduate students is equal to or greater than 9 SCH, whereas part-time status for graduates is less than 9 SCH.
Full-time equivalency (FTE)	Faculty: A budgetary term that represents one full-time faculty position (i.e., two people each serving in half-time faculty positions would together equal one F.T.E faculty). Student: The full-time equivalent (FTE) of students is a single value providing a meaningful combination of full time and part time students. There are two standard calculations of FTE students used for most institutional reporting, one using fall student headcounts (full-time + 1/3 part-time) and the other using instructional activity ((UG SCH/15) + (GR SCH/12)).
Full-time student	Undergraduate: a student enrolled for 12 or more semester credit hours. Graduate: a student enrolled for 9 or more semester credit hours.
Gender	Male or Female
Generated hours	Total student credit hours for all students enrolled in an individual course; may also be referred to as Student Credit Hours.
Graduate assistant	Graduate level student employed on a part-time basis for the primary purpose of assisting in classroom or laboratory instruction or in the conduct of research.
Graduate student	A student who holds a bachelor's degree or above and is taking courses at the postbaccalaureate level. These students may or may not be enrolled in graduate programs.
Graduation rate	The rate required for disclosure and/or reporting purposes under Student Right-to-Know Act. This rate is calculated as the total number of completers within 150% of normal time divided by the revised adjusted cohort.
Graduation term	Term of degree conferral; ex: Summer 2011.
Headcount (HC)	Total number of students enrolled at a particular point in time; usually taken at census date.
Hispanic	A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central 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.
Housing capacity	The maximum number of students for which an institution can provide residential facilities, whether on or off campus.
Indebtedness	Aggregate dollar amount borrowed through any loan program (federal, state, subsidized, unsubsidized, private, etc.; excluding parent loans) while the student was enrolled at an institution. Student loans co-signed by a parent are assumed to be the responsibility of the student and should be included.
In-State residency	A student who is a legal resident of the state in which he/she attends school.
Institutional scholarships and grants	Endowed scholarships, annual gifts and tuition funded grants for which the institution determines the recipient.
Instructor
Instructor name	Primary instructor of a course.
International student	See Non Resident Alien.
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.
IPEDS	The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), conducted by the NCES, began in 1986 and involves annual institution-level data collections. All postsecondary institutions that have a Program Participation Agreement with the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), U.S. Department of Education (throughout IPEDS referred to as "Title IV") are required to report data using a web-based data collection system.
Journal articles	Number of print or electronic refereed journal articles, book chapters, reviews and creative works published by faculty.
Juried shows	Number of juried shows, commissioned performances, creative readings and competitive exhibitions by faculty.
Lecturer	Faculty members who hold the appropriate degree for their discipline (or professional equivalent) and who are appointed for full or part-time teaching.
Level	Undergraduate or Graduate student or course level.
Lower UG (Lower Division) courses	All lower division courses (0001 - 2999 course numbers).
Major	Program of study.
Major enrollment	Headcount of every major enrolled for specified term. Students with multiple majors are counted under each program declared.
Major-concentration	Program and concentration of study.
Majors per FTE	Total majors (undergraduate and graduate) divided by total faculty FTE for specified department.
Master's degree	An award that requires the successful completion of a program of study of at least the full-time equivalent of 1 but not more than 2 academic years of work beyond the bachelor's degree.
Master's level	All Masters level courses (5000 - 6999 course numbers).
Minor	Declared Minor
Nation	Country of residency or permanent residency.
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)	The statistical agency of the U.S. Department of Education; primary federal provider of education statistics on the condition of American education.
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa or other Pacific Islands.
Need-based aid	College-funded or college-administered award from institutional, state, federal or other sources for which a student must have financial need to qualify. This includes both institutional and noninstitutional student aid (grants, jobs and loans).
Need-based scholarship or grant aid	Scholarships and grants from institutional, state, federal or other sources for which a student must have financial need to qualify.
Need-based self-help aid	Loans and jobs from institutional, state, federal or other sources for which a student must demonstrate financial need to qualify.
Non Resident Alien	A person who is not a citizen or national of the United States and who is in this country on a visa or temporary basis and does not have the right to remain indefinitely.
Non-degree seeking student	A student enrolled in courses for credit who is not recognized by the institution as seeking a degree or formal award.
Non-need-based scholarship or grant aid	Scholarships and grants, gifts or merit-based aid from institutional, state, federal or other sources (including unrestricted funds or gifts and endowment income) awarded solely on the basis of academic achievement, meri, or any other non-need-based reason. When reporting questions H1 and H2, non-need-based aid that is used to meet need should be counted as need-based aid.
Non-need-based self-help aid	Loans and jobs from institutional, state or other sources for which a student need not demonstrate financial need to qualify.
On-campus housing	Any residence halls owned or controlled by an institution within the same reasonably contiguous geographic area and used by the institution in direct support of, or in a manner related to, the institution's educational purposes.
Online Student	Student enrolled 100% in online program.
Out-of-state student	A student who is not a legal resident of the state in which he/she attends school.
Paper presentations	Number of peer reviewed formal presentations of contributed papers made by faculty at state, regional, national and international professional or disciplinary meetings.
Part of term	Designates what term course was taught; ex: Part of Term I, Full Term, etc.
Part-time (adjunct) faculty	Non-tenure track faculty serving in a temporary or auxiliary capacity to teach specific courses on a course-by-course basis.
Part-time student	Undergraduate: a student enrolled for 11 semester credit hours or less Graduate: a student enrolled in 8 semester credit hours or less.
Pell grant program	(Higher Education Act of 1965, Title IV, Part A, Subpart I, as amended.) Provides grant assistance to eligible undergraduate postsecondary students with demonstrated financial need to help meet education expenses.
Perkins loan program	(Higher Education Act of 1965, Title IV, Part E, as amended, Public Laws 89-329, 92-318, et al; 20 USC 1087aa-1087hh.) Formerly known as National Direct Student Loans (NDSL), the Perkins Loan program provides low interest loans to eligible postsecondary students (undergraduate, graduate or professional students) with demonstrated financial need to help meet educational expenses.
Post 9/11 GI Bill®	A federal education benefit program for veterans, who served on active duty after September 10, 2001. This Department of Veteran Affairs benefit provides up to 36 months of education benefits at an approved institution for the following college costs: tuition and fees, books and supplies and housing. The tuition and fees payment, which is the cost for an in-state student attending a public institution, is made directly to the postsecondary institution, whereas payments for books and supplies and housing are sent directly to the student. GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
Postbaccalaureate certificate	An award that requires completion of an organized program of study beyond the bachelor's. It is designed for persons who have completed a baccalaureate degree, but does not meet the requirements of a master's degree. NOTE: Even though Teacher Preparation certificate programs may require a bachelor's degree for admission, they are considered sub baccalaureate undergraduate programs, and students in these programs are undergraduate students.
Post-Master's certificate	An award that requires completion of an organized program beyond the master's degree, but does not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctor's level.
Postsecondary award, certificate, or diploma (at least 1, but less than 2, academic years)	An award that requires completion of an organized program of study at the postsecondary level (below the baccalaureate degree) in at least 1, but less than 2, full-time equivalent academic years, at least 30, but less than 60, semester or trimester credit hours, at least 45, but less than 90, quarter credit hours or at least 900, but less than 1,800, contact or clock hours.
Postsecondary award, certificate, or diploma (at least 2, but less than 4, academic years)	An award that requires completion of an organized program of study at the postsecondary level (below the baccalaureate degree) in at least 2, but less than 4, full-time equivalent academic years, at least 60, but less than 120, semester or trimester credit hours, at least 90, but less than 180, quarter credit hours or at least 1,800, but less than 3,600, contact or clock hours.
Postsecondary award, certificate, or diploma (less than 1 academic year)	An award that requires completion of an organized program of study at the postsecondary level (below the baccalaureate degree) in less than 1 academic year (2 semesters or 3 quarters), or designed for completion in less than 30 semester or trimester credit hours, or in less than 45 quarter credit hours, or in less than 900 contact or clock hours.
Postsecondary education	The provision of a formal instructional program whose curriculum is designed primarily for students who are beyond the compulsory age for high school. This includes programs whose purpose is academic, vocational and continuing professional education, and excludes avocational and adult basic education programs.
Professor	Faculty who meet the following requirements: doctorate or equivalent degree; established reputation as a teacher or librarian; established record in research and scholarly or professional attainment; established record of effective participation in professional activities other that teaching and research; established ability to relate effectively to students and professional colleagues.
Race/Ethnicity	Race and Hispanic ethnicity are now considered separate categories by the federal government and are reported as follows: All persons who identify themselves as Hispanic are reported only in the Hispanic ethnicity category. Individuals who are not Hispanic and report more than one racial background are reported in the Two or More Races, non-Hispanic category. All other individuals who do not claim Hispanic origin, nor multiple races, are classified in the single racial category chosen (Black, White, Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, American Indian).
Registered hours	Enrolled credit hours of student for term of enrollment; also be referred to as Student Credit Hours.
Required fees	Fixed sum charged to students for items not covered by tuition and required of such a large proportion of all students that the student who does not pay the charge is an exception.
Research faculty	Faculty who conduct research as their primary responsibility. They are not expected to engage in teaching or public service as a condition of their employment. They are typically hired as non-tenured track.
Resident Alien	A person who is not a citizen or national of the United States but who has been admitted as a legal immigrant for the purpose of obtaining permanent resident alien status (and who holds either an alien registration card (Form I-551 or I-151), a Temporary Resident Card (Form I-688), or an Arrival-Departure Record (Form I-94) with a notation that conveys legal immigrant status such as Section 207 Refugee, Section 208 Asylee, Conditional Entrant Parolee or Cuban-Haitian).
Retention rate	A measure of the rate at which students persist in their educational program at an institution, expressed as a percentage. For four-year institutions, this is the percentage of first-time bachelors (or equivalent) degree-seeking undergraduates from the previous fall who are again enrolled in the current fall. For all other institutions this is the percentage of first-time degree/certificate-seeking students from the previous fall who either re-enrolled or successfully completed their program by the current fall.
Reverse Transfer	Students who transfer from a community college to a 4-year institution prior to receiving an Associates degree have the option to be awarded that degree once they meet the all the course requirements. Eligible transfer students are notified each semester. Students must opt-in once contacted to be eligible to receive the degree from the community college they transferred from. Students who opt-in but do not meet all the course requirements are informed of the courses they lack and are contacted each following semester until the requirements are met and a degree can be awarded. More information about the Reverse Transfer process can be found on the TN Reverse Transfer Website.
SAT	Previously known as the Scholastic Aptitude Test, this is an examination administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and used to predict the facility with which an individual will progress in learning college-level academic subjects.
SCH per FTE	Total departmental student credit hour production divided by department's faculty FTE.
Scholarships	Grants-in-aid, trainee stipends, tuition and fee waivers, prizes or other monetary awards given to undergraduate students.
Semester	A calendar system that consists of two sessions called semesters during the academic year with about 15 weeks for each semester of instruction. There may be an additional summer session.
Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges	A membership group of over 1,700 institutions that functions to expand and improve voluntary postsecondary opportunities for servicemembers worldwide. It is funded by the Department of Defense through a contract with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU).
Stafford loans	(Higher Education Act of 1965, Title IV-B, as amended, Public Law 89-329; 20 USC 1071.) Provides guaranteed loans for educational expenses from eligible lenders to vocational or academic undergraduate, graduate and first-professional students at eligible postsecondary institutions.
Standardized admissions tests	Tests prepared and administered by an agency that is independent of any postsecondary education institution. Tests provide information about prospective students and their academic qualifications relative to a national sample. Examples are the SAT and the ACT.
State	State of residency or permanent residency.
Student credit hours (SCH)	Course: Total student credit hours for all students enrolled in an individual course; may also be referred to as Generated Credits. Student: Enrolled credit hours of student for term of enrollment; may also be referred to as Registered Hours.
Student Right-to-Know Act	Also known as the "Student Right-to-Know and Campus Security Act" (P.L. 101-542), which was passed by Congress November 9, 1990. Title I, Section 103, requires institutions eligible for Title IV funding to calculate completion or graduation rates of certificate- or degree-seeking, full-time students entering that institution, and to disclose these rates to all students and prospective students. Further, Section 104 requires each institution that participates in any Title IV program and is attended by students receiving athletically-related student aid to submit a report to the Secretary of Education annually. This report is to contain, among other things, graduation/completion rates of all students as well as students receiving athletically-related student aid by race/ethnicity, by gender, by sport and the average completion or graduation rate for the four most recent years. These data are also required to be disclosed to parents, coaches and potential student athletes when the institution offers athletically-related student aid. The Graduation Rates component of IPEDS was developed specifically to help institutions respond to these requirements. See Graduation Rates for the current description of data collected.
Student type	Student's status for select term of enrollment; ex: First Time Freshman, New Transfer, Readmit, Returning.
Student-designed major	A program of study based on individual interests, designed with the assistance of an adviser.
Study abroad	Arrangement by which a student completes part of the college program studying in another country. Can be at a campus abroad or through a cooperative agreement with some other U.S. college or an institution of another country.
Subject code	Subject of a course.
Supplementary Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG)	(Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, Title IV, Part A, Subpart 2, Public Laws 89-329, 92-318, 94-482, et al; 20 USC 1070b-1070b-3.) Provides eligible undergraduate postsecondary students with demonstrated financial need with grant assistance to help meet educational expenses. The Supplementary Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG) are made directly to institutions of higher education, which select students for the awards.
Teacher certification program	A program designed to prepare students to meet the requirements for certification as teachers in elementary, middle/junior high and secondary schools.
Teaching overload	Full-time faculty who have been approved to teach over their contracted instructional load (generally 4 courses or 12 hours). Teaching overload FTE is based on the faculty load assigned by the department (ex: a 3 credit course would equate to a .25 FTE).
TN Transfer Pathways (TTP)	Series of program pathways a student can take at a community college that, upon completion of course requirements, can be awarded an Associates degree. If all coursework cannot be completed at the community college, students may transfer to any participating 4 year institution that offers a baccalaureate program in that pathway and complete their coursework there. Once coursework is completed, student can be awarded their Associates degree through the Reverse Transfer process. The coursework earned as part of a TN Pathway are guaranteed to transfer to an equivalent baccalaureate program at any participating public and many private universities in Tennessee. Please go to the TN Transfer Pathways website for more information.
Tenure	Status of a personnel position with respect to permanence of the position.
Tenure track	Personnel positions that lead to consideration for tenure.
Term	Term of enrollment; ex: Fall 2010.
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)	The standardized test designed to determine an applicant's ability to benefit from instruction in English.
Transcript	An official record of student performance showing all schoolwork completed at a given school and the final mark or other evaluation received in each portion of the instruction. Transcripts often include an explanation of the marking scale used by the school.
Transfer-in student	A student entering the reporting institution for the first time but known to have previously attended a postsecondary institution at the same level (e.g., undergraduate, graduate). This includes new students enrolled in the fall term who transferred into the institution the prior summer term. The student may transfer with or without credit.
Tuition	Amount of money charged to students for instructional services. Tuition may be charged per term, per course or per credit.
Tuition and fees	The amount of tuition and required fees covering a full academic year most frequently charged to students. These values represent what a typical student would be charged and may not be the same for all students at an institution. If tuition is charged on a per-credit-hour basis, the average full-time credit hour load for an entire academic year is used to estimate average tuition. Required fees include all fixed sum charges that are required of such a large proportion of all students that the student who does not pay the charges is an exception.
Two-year institution	A postsecondary institution that offers programs of at least 2, but less than 4, years duration. Includes occupational and vocational schools with programs of at least 1800 hours and academic institutions with programs of less than 4 years. Does not include bachelor's degree-granting institutions where the baccalaureate program can be completed in 3 years.
Undergraduate	A student enrolled in a four- or five-year bachelor’s degree program, an associate degree program, or a vocational or technical program below the baccalaureate.
Unduplicated count	The sum of students enrolled for credit with each student counted only once during the reporting period, regardless of when the student enrolled.
Unknown race and ethnicity	The category used to report students or employees whose race and ethnicity are not known.
Upper UG (Upper Division)	All upper division courses (3000 - 4999 course numbers).
Variable	A fundamental unit of data contained in a file which is given a unique label.
Veterans Administration (VA) Education Benefits	Those benefits available to military personnel and their families for financial assistance at approved postsecondary education institutions. There can be three types of beneficiaries: Surviving spouses and children; Discharged veterans; and Active military personnel in special programs.
Work study and employment	Federal and state work study aid, and any employment packaged by your institution in financial aid awards.
Works cited	Number of works cited in peer-reviewed discipline related journals or publications.
Yellow Ribbon Program	A voluntary program through which participating public and private institutions can provide veterans and eligible beneficiaries additional institutional aid to cover the costs of tuition and fees at their institutions. The Yellow Ribbon Program is a supplementary program to the Post 9/11 GI Bill® coverage of in-state tuition and fees. The Department of Veterans Affairs matches the institutional aid provided beyond the in-state tuition and fees, but to certain limit each year.

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