Glossary of Terms

Did we miss a term? Contact the Advising Center if there is a term you would like to see defined here.

ACCEL Program: A joint-enrollment program designed for high school juniors and seniors in Georgia public schools who wish to enter college and earn college credit while they complete their junior and/or senior year of high school.

Academic Standing:  Degree-seeking students at GSC are eligible to be in one of four categories of Academic Standing: Good Academic Standing, Academic Probation, Continued Academic Probation, and Academic Suspension. Please follow the included links for specific information on each category.

Academic Probation: A student is considered to be on Academic Probation if his or her overall GPA drops below 2.0. Students on Academic Probation are notified by official letter from the Vice President of Academic Affairs. Because of GSC's commitment to student success, students on Academic Probation must meet with an Academic Advisor in the Advising Center during their semester(s) on probation.

Academic Suspension (First):  Students who are on academic probation will be suspended for one semester if they fail to earn a minimum semester grade point average of 2.0 for their current semester of enrollment.  Their suspended semester will be the first fall, spring or summer semester following the suspension.  Students placed on academic suspension may request readmission through an appeal to the Admissions Committee made up of members across disciples and division which, on hearing the student appeal, recommends action to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The Admissions Committee for the appeal is NOT the Admissions Office.

Academic Suspension (Subsequent):  Students who re-enroll following a first or subsequent academic suspension must earn a minimum semester grade point average of 2.0 for every semester of their enrollment until their cumulative grade point average is raised to a minimum of 2.0 to avoid subsequent suspensions.  Students who earn less than a 2.0 semester grade point average will be suspended for one academic year including a fall, a spring and a summer semester. 

Appeals Process:  It should be kept in mind that the process for lodging any kind of complaint is to start at the lowest point on the “chain of command.” For example, a discrepancy about a grade should be addressed first with the instructional faculty member. If the issue is not resolved, it may be taken to the division chair. It is important for you as a student to know that grade appeals and other appeal opportunities exist, but be aware that they are not taken lightly and are not initiated trivially.  Examples of appeals include: grade appeals and academic suspension appeals.

 
Catalog: A book that includes programs of study, course descriptions, basic financial aid information, college policies, the college mission statement, appeals process information, and more. It can be found online at http://www.gsc.edu/gccatalog.htm or at the bookstore for $4.  This is the only book you will use every year of college!

Co-Curricular Transcript: An official document that records verifiable student activities which occur outside the classroom. If you participate in an activity or club, fill out a co-curricular transcript card and the activity will appear on this document.  This can be viewed by accessing BANNER Web or by stopping by the Office of Student Activities at the Gainesville Campus or the Student Life Office at the Oconee Campus.  Co-Curricular credit looks great on transcripts and resumes.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP): A program by which students can earn credit for certain college-level classes by examination. Credit earned or not earned is based on test scores. For example, a score of 46 on the College Spanish CLEP test earns a student credit for SPAN 1001 and 1002. A score of 70 and a passing writing sample will earn a student credit for SPAN 1001, 1002, 2001 and 2002. Each test is $70. Contact the Testing Center at 678-717-3863 for more information.

College Preparatory Curriculum (CPC): College preparatory curriculum is the curriculum taught in Georgia public high schools for students who want to graduate with a College Prep seal. A deficiency occurs when a student has not taken the required amount of classes in a given subject before entrance into Gainesville State College. Students graduating from high school with a Technical seal or with a GED may have deficiencies. CPC deficiencies can exist in the areas of Foreign Language, English, Math, Science, and Social Sciences. They can be satisfied by a grade of “C” or better in specific classes or by passing the COMPASS exam. For more information on CPC deficiencies, please see page 88 of the online catalog.

COMPASS Exam: Some students are required to take the COMPASS entrance exam prior to registration to determine specific requirements for extra preparation in Reading, English, and Mathematics.  Passing COMPASS Exam scores may satisfy CPC deficiencies in English and Math.

Continued Academic Probation: Students are considered to be on Continued Academic Probation if they were previously on Academic Probation but earn a 2.0 or higher for the current semester. Students making positive progress toward Good Academic Standing will be on Continued Academic Probation until they earn an overall GPA of 2.0 or higher. Students on Continued Academic Probation will continue working with an Academic Advisor in the Advising Center.

CRN:  The 4-digit number used on the course schedule to specify a course’s time and location.  Students need this number to register on BANNER Web, and it must be written on the student scheduling worksheet.

Dean’s List:  Students who earn a 3.5 or higher Grade Point Average with a minimum of fifteen (15) semester credit hours of academic work in one semester earn a place on the Dean’s List.

Drop:  Deleting a class from your schedule so it will not be included on your transcript. Your tuition is refundable.  Unlike a Withdrawal, there is no academic or financial penalty for a drop.  This can only be done during Schedule Adjustment or Drop/Add.

Drop/Add or Schedule Adjustment: The time period at the beginning of each semester session (full, half, or 10-week session) when students may drop classes from or add classes to their schedules.  No classes may be added or dropped beyond this period. Classes beginning in the second half or second 10-week sessions may be added at different times during the semester than full session classes. Check the Registrar’s Schedule Adjustment dates online at http://www.gsc.edu/schedule.htm for more information about Schedule Adjustment periods.

Faculty: This generally refers to the part-time and full-time professors on campus, some of whom also act as faculty advisors.  Other GSC administrative faculty on campus include: deans, division chairs, vice presidents, and the president.

Full-Time Student:  To be considered a full-time student for insurance and financial aid reasons, students must carry at least 12 credit hours in fall and/or spring semester.  Any course load between 12 and 18 credits carries the same tuition obligation.  Students who want to take more than 18 credit hours in a semester must get permission from the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Good Academic Standing: Students are considered to be in Good Academic Standing if they earn and maintain an overall GPA of 2.0 or higher. 

Grade Point Average (GPA): GPA ranges from 0.0 to 4.0 and is calculated by dividing total quality points by hours attempted. Quality points are as follows: A=4; B=3; C=2; D=1; F & WF=0. W does not receive quality points and does not affect your GPA. For example:

To determine Joe’s GPA, he must divide the total quality points (31) by the total amount of hours attempted.

Learning Support (LS): Students whose previous academic record, admissions test scores, and placement test scores indicate the need for additional preparation in English, Mathematics, and/or Reading are required to take the appropriate Learning Support courses. If only one or two Learning Support courses are required, students may enroll concurrently in college-level courses for which they have satisfied the prerequisites. HOWEVER, if students withdraw from any Learning Support course, they will not be allowed to remain in any regular college credit courses. If students remain enrolled in at least one Learning Support class, they will be allowed to remain in GCOR 1101. More information about the Learning Support program may be found in the GSC catalog or online at: http://www.gsc.edu/admin/learningsupport/

Legislative Requirements: The Georgia Board of Regents requires that all students within the University System take a history class that covers both U.S. and Georgia History. This requirement shows up on a student’s Tranguid and can be satisfied by HIST 1112, HIST 2111, or HIST 2112. There is also a U.S. and Georgia Constitution requirement that can by fulfilled by taking the required POLS 1101 class. See the section on the Regents’ Test for information on the other Legislative Requirements.

Merit List: Students who earn a 3.5 or higher Grade Point Average with a minimum of nine (9) and less than fifteen (15) semester credit hours of academic work in one semester are placed on the Merit List.

M, T, W, R, F, S: On class schedules, class meeting days are designated by a single letter or combination of letters.  For example, TR indicates a class meets on Tuesday and Thursday, and an S indicates a class meets on Saturday. 

Prerequisite:  The classes you have to take before you can enroll in certain classes.  (For example, MATH 1001 or MATH 1111 with a “C” or higher is the perquisite for STAT 2400).

Quality Points: Used to calculate a student’s GPA. The grade of “A” is worth 4 quality points, a “B”= 3 points, a “C”= 2 points, a “D”= 1 points, and an “F” or “WF”= 0 points. A “W” does not factor into GPA.

Regents' Test: An examination to assess the competency level of students in reading and writing. Passing the Regents’ Test is a requirement for graduation. The Regents' Test is administered once each semester. Students must register for the test online through BANNER Web before the registration deadline. Additional information on the Regents’ Test and the Regents’ Testing Program at Gainesville State College is in the “Regents’ Remediation Program” section in the Academic Information chapter of the GSC catalog. However, students whose “mother-tongue” is not English, who are transient students, or who have special accommodations through Disability Services MUST register with the Director of Testing.

Student ID: The number assigned to a student upon admission that acts as a student’s identifier. The number, beginning with 924, is the student’s user name to login to computers, BANNER Web, web mail and home folders from off-campus. It is also the first part of every student’s email address: 924XXXXXX@gsc.edu.

Tranguid: A document that contains a student’s personal and academic information, including contact information, current class schedule, placement test scores (SAT, ACT or COMPASS), program of study, advisor, GPA, and previous classes and grades. This document is NOT an official transcript.

Transient Students: Students enrolled in other colleges or universities who apply for temporary admission and registration at Gainesville State College. These students expect to return to the college or university in which they were previously enrolled to complete degree requirements.