Ability to Benefit – Assessment requirement for college admission and financial eligibility
for students without a high school diploma or GED.
Academic Audit – advising information illustrating a student's progress in fulfilling the
graduation requirements of their chosen degree program.
Accuplacer – Another name for the Computerized Placement Test. It is a math, English,
and reading assessment to determine course placement.
Admission– Process to obtain acceptance to the college and to register for classes
Alliss Grant – A grant opportunity for one class up to 5 credits of tuition and books for
students that have not earned a Bachelor’s degree attending Riverland after a seven year
absence from college or high school.
Application for Graduation– Form required to notify the Placement and Graduate Service
Office that you will be completing the requirements of your program and will qualify for
graduation.
Apply – To seek admission to a college.
Audit a Course – Attending a course and paying full tuition for a course without being
awarded credit for the course.
Completion Rate – Percentage of credits successfully completed by a student. The college
expects at least a 67 percent completion rate each semester.
CPT – The computerized version of the accuplacer assessment used for proper course
placement. Cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) – A summary or average grade for all
the courses taken at a college.
Current Student – A student who attended Riverland last semester and will enroll the
following semestert.
Deferment – The ability to delay payment of college tuition and/or books based on pending
financial aid or fundings.
Dependent Student – Status assigned to students typically under 24 years of age for
financial aid purposes. The student reports both of his/her information and parents
information when applying for financial aid.
Disability Services– Services for students with a documented disability.
Disbursement Date – When financial aid payments are made to qualifying students.
Drop – Student requests to remove a class from their schedule limited through the first
five days of the semester.
Enrollment Status – Current, Full-Time, Half-Time, New, Returning, Three-Quarter
Time, Transfer.
- Current Student – A student who attended Riverland last semester and will
enroll the following semester.
- Full-Time Student – A student who is enrolled in twelve or more credits per
semester.
- Half-Time Student – A student enrolled in six (6) to eight (8) credits per
semester.
- New Student - A student who has not previously attended Riverland.
- Returning Student – A student who previously attended Riverland and is
returning after a semester or longer break.
- Three-Quarter Time Student – A student enrolled in nine (9) to eleven (11)
credits.
- Transfer Student - A student who attended another college that has had credits
accepted into their Riverland major.
Expected Family Contribution – The amount a student and their family are expected to
contribute toward college expenses.
FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It is the primary application used to
determine your state and federal eligibility for financial aid.
Financial Aid – Grant and Loans
- Grant – Financial aid that is a gift of funds to help pay for college expenses.
- Pell Grant and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) – A
federal grant program based on need for those students with the loswest
expected family contribution (EFC).
- Student Loan – Financial aid that must be repaid by the student.
- Subsidized Loan – A federal loan program with interest deferred for
qualifying students as long as the student is enrolled half-time or more.
- Unsubsidized Loan – A federal loan program where interest is assessed
while the student is enrolled.
Financial Aid Award Notice – A summary of the various financial aid programs a student
is qualified to receive.
Financial Aid Disbursement – When financial aid payments are made to qualifying
students.
Financial Need – It is your eligibility for financial aid and is the difference between the cost
of attending the college minus what the family/student are expected to contribute
to the cost.
Full-Time Student – A student who is enrolled in twelve or more credits per semesters.
Grade Point Average (GPA) – A cumulative semester grade for all the courses taken
at a college.
Half-Time Student – A student enrolled in six (6) to eight (8) credits per semester.
Independant Student – One who reports only his or her income information (and that of a
spouse, if the student is married) when applying for student aid. You are automatically
considered independent if you are 24 years of age or older as of December 31 of the current
academic year.
Major – The program of study that a student has declared.
MnSCU– Minnesota State Colleges and Universities.
Need Analysis – A formula used to determine expected family contribution toward the cost
of attending college. It is based on family information.
NET – Nurse Entrance Test.
Non-Resident Student – A student who has not lived in Minnesota the past 12 months.
Parent Contribution – The financial support that your parent(s) is/are expected to
contribute toward your educational expenses. .
Payment Plan– A plan that allows a student to pay their tuition and fees over the five
months of a semester.
Probation – Based on three measures; cumulative grade point average, must be a 2.0,
completion rate of 67 percent based on comparison of accumulative credits attempted and
credits earned, and a maximum time frame for degree completion.
PSEO – Post Secondary Education Option
Reciprocity – An arrangement for students from South Dakota, North Dakota and
Wisconsin to pay tuition at rates comparable to in-state students.
Register – To sign up for classes.
Satisfactory Academic Progress– Based on three measures; cumulative grade point
average, must be a 2.0, completion rate of 67 percent based on comparison of accumulative
credits attempted and credits earned, and a maximum time frame for degree completions.
Student Loan – Financial aid that must be repaid by the student.
Student Status – Repeat Enrollment Status once completed.
Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) – A federal grant program based
on need for those students with the lowest expected family contribution (EFC).
Student Contribution – The amount of a student’s income, savings, and other resources
that they are expected to contribute to educational expenses.
Student Service Center – Centers located in Albert Lea, Austin-East, and at the Owatonna
College and University Center that provide one-stop services to students in the areas of
business services, counseling, financial aid, and registration.
Student Success Center – Provides tutoring services at no cost to Riverland students.
Suspension – An academic and/or financial aid status where a student has lost their
eligibility to receive financial aid and/or the permission to register for classes.
Three-Quarter Time Student – A student enrolled in nine (9) to eleven (11) credits.
Verification – The process of documenting information reported on the FAFSA.
West Center – Located in the Austin-West campus and is the location of counseling,
placement, minority students, and tutoring services. The financial aid processing center
and director are also located in this area.
Withdrawal – Students request to remove a class from their schedule from the 2nd week up
through the 13th week of the semester.
Work-study – A student employment program. Students are eligible for employment based
on their application for financial aid. |
