WMU Glossary of Common Terms

Academic advisor

A faculty or professional staff member trained to help students select courses and plan programs of study for degree or program completion.

Academic dismissal

Dismissal from an academic unit or program for not maintaining the required grade point average (GPA). Dismissal indicates that a student is no longer admitted to the University and may not register.

Academic standing

The status of a student determined by the student’s grade point average (GPA).

Academic Year

The period during which school is in session.  Western has four separate enrollment periods and for financial aid purposes, the academic year begins with Summer II and runs through Summer I.

• Summer II: July through August
• Fall: August through December
• Spring: January through April
• Summer I: May through June

Board

A term used for the meal plan (as in, room and board) at the University.

Class or credit hour load (Undergraduate)

The number of credit hours carried by a student each semester or session. A first semester freshman may not enroll for more than eighteen hours of work except by special permission, which is seldom granted unless the curriculum demands it. The normal maximum load for the summer sessions is nine hours.

Class standing

A classification based on the number of credit hours earned which indicated the level of a student. Freshman: a student credited with 0-25 hours inclusive. Sophomore: a student credited with 26-55 hours inclusive. Junior: a student credited with 56-87 hours inclusive. Senior: a student credited with 88 or more hours.

College

An administrative division of the University housing one or more academic departments or schools.

Corequisite

A course that must be taken at the same time as another course.

Credit hour

A unit of academic credit. One credit hour usually represents one hour of class time per week.

Credit load

The total number of credits for which a student registers during a semester or session.

Curriculum

A complete program of studies, as defined by a college, leading to a baccalaureate (undergraduate) degree.

Dean’s list

A public announcement at the end of fall and spring semesters listing students who have achieved a grade point average of 3.50 in at least twelve semester hours of graded course work.

Dependent

For your child to be considered your dependent, you must provide more than half of their support. If your child does not live with you, the other parent and you may not both claim the child as a dependent. For other persons to be considered your dependent, they must live with you and you must provide more than half of their support.

Disbursement

Disbursement is the release of financial aid towards your school account for payment of tuition, fees, room and board, and other school charges.

Drop

An official procedure for withdrawing from individual courses without removing registration from all courses. The deadline for the last day to drop a course without academic penalty (grade of “W” is on the transcript) is noted each semester or session on the Academic Calendar. Students who do not follow the official procedure when dropping a class will receive a grade for the course.

Elective

A course will count as credit toward a degree, if approved by the advisor, but is not a specified requirement in the program’s course requirements.

Financial Aid

Money provided to the student and the family to help them pay for the student’s education. Major forms of financial aid include gift aid (grants and scholarships) and self help aid (loans and work). International students not eligible

Financial Aid Package

The financial aid package is the complete collection of grants, scholarships, loans, and work-study employment from all sources (federal, state, institutional, and private) offered to a student to enable them to attend the college or university.

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is used to apply for all federal aid including the Federal Pell Grant, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Federal College Work Study (FCWS), Federal Direct Student Loans (FDS/FDU), Federal Direct Parent Loan (PLUS) and all other need-based aid.

Good standing

A designation that signifies that a student is eligible to continue, to return, or to transfer elsewhere. It implies good academic standing; that is, an overall GPA of 2.00 or better for undergraduates, 3.00 or better for graduate students.

Grade point

The numerical value given to letter grades. For example, an “A” is equivalent to 4 points per semester hours. A “BA” to 3.5 points, a “B” to 3 points, “CB” to 2.5 points, “C” to 2 points, “DC” to 1.5 points and “D” to 1 point. An “E” or “X” is equivalent to zero points.

Grade point average (GPA)

A student’s scholastic average computed by dividing total grade or honor points by total credit hours attempted.

Graduation audit

A formal, required evaluation of the student’s academic record and program of study to determine the student’s eligibility for graduation. The audit, initiated by a student’s application for graduation, determines whether all University, degree, and program requirements have been met satisfactorily.

Hold

A restraint placed on a student’s ability to register for courses as a result of an unfulfilled monetary obligation or other action by the University.

Honor points

A numerical value of the letter grade and credit earned in a course, determined by multiplying the grade point earned in the course by the number of credit hours for the course.

Honors

Designation indicated on the college degree and transcript to reflect outstanding scholarship. Honors are conferred upon graduating students who have displayed a high level of performance during their University career. Recipients of honors receive their degrees: Cum laude-when their grade point average is 3.50 to 3.69, inclusive. Magna cum laude-when their grade point average is 3.70 to 3.89 inclusive. Summa cum laude-when their grade point average is 3.90 to 4.0 inclusive.

Incomplete

A temporary course grade (“I”) granted by an instructor when illness, necessary absence, or other reasons beyond the control of the student prevent completion of course requirements by the end of the semester or session. A student must be passing the course to be eligible for an “I”. An “I” is not given as a substitute for a failing or low grade. Incomplete grades will convert to an “X” if not removed within one calendar year, or sooner if so stipulated by the instructor.

Interdisciplinary

Designating a combination of subject matter from two or more disciplines within a course or program.

Internship

Work in a firm or agency related to a student’s major program and/or career plans. Usually involves earning college credit and may involve receiving payment.

Major

A concentration of related courses generally consisting of thirty to fifty semester hours of credit.

Minor

A concentration of courses generally consisting of a minimum of twenty semester hours of credit.

Part-time student

An undergraduate student who takes fewer than twelve hours during a semester or fewer than six hours during a session.

Portfolio

A collection of work (e.g., paintings, writings, etc.) which may be used to demonstrate competency in an academic area.

Prerequisite

A requirement, usually the completion of another course, which must be met before a student may register for a course.

Probation

As a condition of admission: Probationary admission may be granted by a department to a student who does not meet all normal requirements for regular admission. The probationary student may then establish eligibility for regular admission by completing satisfactorily the specified departmental prerequisites declared in the letter of admission.

Proficiency

A General Education requirement. Each undergraduate candidate must show proficiency in four (4) areas: college-level writing; baccalaureate-level writing; college-level mathematics or quantitative reasoning; enhanced proficiency (one of the six options).

Registration

The process of enrolling in and paying tuition and fees for courses each semester or session.

Scholarship

Financial assistance to students awarded on the basis of academic achievement. Financial need may or may not be a factor.

School

A single-discipline organizational unit which has an identification in the public mind beyond that of a department. Schools may have significant subdivisions such that students will apply for admission and take degrees through the subdivision rather than through the central unit as a whole.

Semester

A unit of time, 15 weeks long in the academic calendar at WMU. The semesters occur in the fall and the spring.

Student employment

Part-time jobs made available to students with financial need through federally-funded program (Work Study) and to students without need through the Student Employment Office.

Transcript

A copy of a student’s permanent academic record at a particular institution. The transcript, at minimum, lists all courses taken and credit hours and grades earned.

Transfer credit

Credit earned at another accredited institution and accepted toward a WMU degree. Grades earned at another institution do not transfer and hence do not affect the WMU GPA.

Tuition

The amount of money which must be paid for courses based on the number of credits for which the student registers

Withdrawal

An official procedure for withdrawing from a course or from the University. Deadlines for the last day to withdraw from a course without academic penalty (grade of “W” is on the transcript) is noted each semester or session in the Schedule of Course Offerings publication and on the WMU academic calendars website. Students who do not follow the official procedure when withdrawing from a class will earn the grade of “X” for that course; the “X” grade carries no honor points and affects the GPA in the same manner as an “E” or failing grade

X Grade

The symbol “X” on a student’s transcript indicates that the student has never attended the class or has discontinued attendance and does not qualify for any other grade, including an “I” grade. The “X” will be computed into the student’s grade point average as hours attempted with zero honor points.