Definition
of Terms
The definitions below are intended to facilitate the better understanding of information presented in this report. These are selected from the University of North Carolina's reporting forms and the US Department of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System forms.
1. ENROLLMENT, unless otherwise noted, refers to the headcount resident-credit enrollment. The resident- credit enrollment includes full-time and part-time students enrolled in courses basic to or creditable to a bachelor's or higher degree. This excludes students in extension, correspondence, adult education, audited courses, short courses, and those enrolled for individual lessons only.
Undergraduate includes students who have not completed a full four-year program or its equivalent and also students in a five-year bachelor's program. This classification includes students in junior and community colleges in programs transferable to four-year institutions.
First Professional includes students who are in a professional school or program (law, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, and theology) which requires at least two or more years of previous college work for entrance.
Graduate includes students who have attained at least one standard bachelor's degree or first professional degree and who are or might be candidates for a master's or doctorate degree.
First-Time Freshman includes new students who have no college credits prior to the immediately previous summer sessions.Also includes students who entered with advanced standing (college credits earned before graduation from high school).
Special/Unclassified includes students who are not candidates for a degree, diploma, certificate, or equivalent award, although taking courses in regular classes with other students.
Full-Time Student includes students registered for 12 or more semester credit hours as undergraduate or 9 or more semester credit hours as graduate or first professional students.
Part-Time Student includes students registered for less than the required full-time load.
FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) of Part-Time Students
Undergraduates
12 or more semesters credit hours = 1
9 to 12 semester credit hours = 3/4
6 to 9 semester credit hours = 1/2
<6 semester credit hours=1/4Graduates
9 or more semester credit hours = 1
6 to 9 semester credit hours = 3/4
3 to 6 semester credit hours = 1/2
< 3 semester credit hours=1/4In-State Students are those whose legal residence, as determined at the institution, is in North Carolina.
Out-of-State Students are those whose legal residence, as determined at the institution, is in a state other than North Carolina or in a foreign country.
2. TRANSFER refers to students transferring to North Carolina institutions who have college credits from other institutions in a previous regular session(s). A former student transferring back to his original institution after attendance at another institution is not classified as a transfer.
3. DEGREES in this report refer to earned degrees conferred (not honorary). Specifically, the following degrees are included:
Bachelor's Degree requires successful completion of at least four but not more than five years of academic work.
First Professional Degree signifies the completion of the academic requirements for a selected profession, which is based on an educational program requiring at least two academic years of previous college work for entrance and which requires a total of at least six academic years of college work for completion. Examples of first professional degrees are the Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) and Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.), Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.), and Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degrees.
Master's Degree is customarily granted upon successful completion of one (sometimes two) academic years of work beyond the bachelor's degree.
Doctorate Degree includes such degrees as Doctor of Education, Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.), Doctor of Public Health, and the Doctor of Philosophy in any field.
4. FACULTY refers to the professional personnel employed in colleges and universities who are primarily assigned to resident instruction and departmental or organized research. This does not include other professional personnel in library, auxiliary enterprises, and public service activities.
5. EXTENSION ACTIVITY is defined in this report as any on- or off-campus instructional, research application, or public service activity sponsored by the reporting institution which is in addition to the regular on-campus instructional and research activities provided for the regularly enrolled, on-campus, degree candidate.
UNC-GA ProgAssess/Abs.AR003/3-15-98