Plain-English definitions of the GPA, financial aid, student loan, and test score terms you'll actually run into — no jargon, no fine print.
A single number, typically on a 0.0–4.0 scale, that summarizes a student's average academic performance. It's calculated by converting each letter grade into points, multiplying by the course's credit hours, and averaging across all courses. A 3.8 GPA reflects consistently high grades; a 2.0 GPA is a C average, the minimum most colleges require for good standing.
See it in action: GPA Calculator.
Your GPA across every term you've completed at an institution — not just the current semester. It's calculated by summing quality points and credit hours across all terms combined, then dividing. This is the number that appears on your official transcript and the one most scholarship and academic-standing rules reference.
Calculate yours: How to Calculate Cumulative GPA.
A GPA calculation that gives extra credit for more rigorous coursework. Most schools add roughly 1.0 point for AP or IB courses and 0.5 for Honors courses, which is why a weighted GPA can exceed 4.0 (a 4.3 or higher is common for students taking multiple advanced classes). There's no single national standard — the exact bonus varies by school.
Calculate yours: Weighted GPA Calculator.
A GPA calculation on a straight 4.0 scale where course difficulty doesn't change the point value — an A is worth 4.0 points whether it's earned in a standard class or an AP class. Colleges often recalculate applicants' GPAs on an unweighted basis to compare students fairly across schools with different weighting policies.
Calculate yours: How to Calculate Unweighted GPA.
The building block of GPA math: a grade's point value multiplied by the credit hours of that course. An A (4.0 points) in a 3-credit class earns 12 quality points. Add up quality points across all your courses, divide by total credit hours, and you get your GPA.
A unit measuring how much coursework a class represents, roughly corresponding to one hour of scheduled class time per week over a semester. A typical 3-credit-hour class meets for about 3 hours weekly. Credit hours determine how heavily a course's grade counts toward your overall GPA.
See how credit hours factor into GPA: GPA With Different Credit Hours.
A student's academic standing relative to their entire graduating class, based on GPA — often expressed as a position (e.g., 15th out of 320 students) or a percentile. Some high schools have stopped reporting class rank to reduce competition among students with very close GPAs, so its availability varies by school.
Graduation distinctions — cum laude, magna cum laude, and summa cum laude — awarded based on a student's final GPA at graduation. Unlike Dean's List, which recognizes strong performance in a single term while still enrolled, Latin Honors are a one-time distinction tied to your entire academic record, and thresholds are set independently by each school.
Compare to Dean's List: Dean's List GPA Requirements.
A formal warning status a college places a student in when their GPA falls below a required minimum, commonly a 2.0 cumulative GPA. Students on probation are typically given one or two terms to raise their GPA above the threshold before facing suspension or dismissal.
Plan your recovery: GPA Raise Calculator.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid — the form nearly every US college student fills out to be considered for federal grants, work-study, and loans. Most states and individual colleges also use FAFSA data to determine their own institutional aid, so filing it is a prerequisite even for aid that isn't federal.
How it works: How Does Financial Aid Work?.
The number the FAFSA calculates from a student's and family's financial information, used by colleges to determine financial aid eligibility. It replaced the older Expected Family Contribution (EFC) measure and, unlike EFC, can go negative for the highest-need students, which can unlock additional aid.
Estimate your aid: Financial Aid Calculator.
A college's full estimated yearly cost — tuition, fees, room and board, books, transportation, and personal expenses — not just the tuition sticker price. COA is the baseline colleges use to calculate how much financial aid a student is eligible for.
Estimate yours: College Cost Calculator.
What a student actually pays after subtracting grants and scholarships from the Cost of Attendance. A school with a high sticker price can have a lower net price than a "cheaper" school once aid is factored in — net price, not the published tuition figure, is the number worth comparing across schools.
A federal student loan available to undergraduates with demonstrated financial need, on which the government pays the accruing interest while the student is enrolled at least half-time, during the six-month grace period after leaving school, and during any deferment. This is the one federal loan type with no private-loan equivalent.
Compare federal loan types: Federal vs. Private Student Loans.
A federal student loan available to both undergraduate and graduate students regardless of financial need. Unlike subsidized loans, interest accrues from the day the loan is disbursed — including while the student is still in school — so the balance grows even before repayment begins unless the borrower pays the interest as it accrues.
Unpaid interest that gets added to a loan's principal balance — typically when a deferment, forbearance, or grace period ends. Once capitalized, future interest is calculated on the new, larger balance, meaning the borrower effectively pays interest on interest. Paying accrued interest before it capitalizes (even in small amounts) keeps the balance from growing.
The income figure used to calculate monthly payments under income-driven repayment plans. It's generally a borrower's adjusted gross income minus a set percentage of the federal poverty line for their household size — the payment is then a fixed percentage of this (usually smaller) number rather than of total income.
See it applied: Loan Repayment Calculator.
A federal loan for graduate and professional students that covers the gap between other financial aid and the full cost of attendance, at a higher interest rate than unsubsidized loans and subject to a credit check. Eligibility for new borrowers changed significantly starting July 1, 2026 — students enrolling in a new program or taking out their first loan for that program on or after that date are generally no longer eligible, while those already borrowing for a program they were enrolled in before the change can typically continue.
A temporary pause or reduction in federal student loan payments, usually granted for financial hardship. Unlike deferment, interest continues to accrue on every loan type during forbearance, including subsidized loans — which is why it's generally treated as a shorter-term, last-resort option rather than a long-term plan.
Lower-cost alternatives: How to Lower Your Student Loan Payments.
A temporary postponement of federal loan payments for specific qualifying situations — such as returning to school, unemployment, or economic hardship. The key difference from forbearance: on subsidized loans (and Perkins loans), interest does not accrue during deferment, so the balance doesn't grow while payments are paused.
An umbrella term for federal repayment plans — including RAP and IBR — that cap a borrower's monthly payment as a percentage of discretionary income rather than using a fixed amortization schedule. IDR plans generally extend the repayment term (often 20–25 years) and can lead to loan forgiveness of any remaining balance at the end of the term.
Compare plans: Student Loan Repayment Plans Explained.
A federal program forgiving the remaining balance on Direct Loans after 120 qualifying monthly payments (10 years) made while working full-time for a qualifying government or nonprofit employer. Forgiveness under PSLF is currently tax-free, with no dollar cap — but missing the specific qualifying-payment and qualifying-employer requirements is a common way borrowers lose eligibility.
The company the Department of Education assigns to manage the day-to-day administration — billing, payment processing, plan changes — of a federal student loan. The servicer isn't the original lender; the federal government owns the loan, and servicers can change over the life of a loan without changing its terms.
A composite test score built by combining a student's single best section scores across multiple test dates, rather than relying on results from just one sitting. A superscore is always equal to or higher than a student's best single-sitting composite, since it's mathematically constructed from the best available result in each section.
Calculate yours: ACT Superscore Calculator.
A score reported alongside the ACT composite for students who choose to take the optional Science section — calculated as the average of the student's Math and Science section scores. Since 2025, Science no longer factors into the main ACT Composite, so the STEM score exists as a separate, optional data point for STEM-focused applications.
Full breakdown: New ACT Format 2025–2026.
A College Board policy letting students choose which SAT test date's scores to send to colleges, rather than being required to send scores from every sitting. Not all colleges honor Score Choice equally — some require all scores regardless, so it's worth checking each target school's policy before deciding which scores to submit.
The percentage of test-takers a given score outperforms — a ranking, not a percentage-correct measure. A score in the 80th percentile means the student scored higher than 80% of the comparison group of test-takers, not that they answered 80% of questions correctly.
Look up yours: SAT Percentile Calculator.
Test-optional means a college will consider SAT/ACT scores if a student submits them, but doesn't require them for admission. Test-blind means the college will not consider test scores at all, even if a student submits them — the two policies look similar on the surface but lead to very different submission strategies.
Decide whether to submit: What Is a Good SAT Score?