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Academic Year - Academic year begins in summer session and concludes in the spring semester. For example, the 2003-04 academic year is comprised of the Summer Session 2003, the First (Fall) Semester 2003-04, and the Second (Spring) Semester 2003-04.

ACT (American College Testing Assessment) - A college entrance exam that is designed to test skill levels in English, math, reading, and science reasoning.

Alumni - Anyone who has attended or has graduated from a school, college, or university. This includes graduates and former students for whom we have an active address (i.e., they are not deceased nor "lost").

ASF (Assignable Square Feet) - A measure of the useable space within a building that is available for assignment to user departments. It excludes non-assignable spaces such as public hallways and stairways, building mechanical rooms and restrooms, and also the areas used for walls, mechanical shafts, etc.

Auxiliary Enterprises - These enterprises, which are self-supporting and receive no state funds, include housing and food services, intercollegiate athletics, health and recreation services, parking facilities, transportation and printing services, and the Purdue Airport.

Benchmark - A measurement or evaluative strategy which is used to compare Purdue University’s performance to other universities. The comparison is external.

Class - A class consists of one or more course sections meeting with the same instructor(s) at a common time. A class is the actual physical group of students and instructors that meet together, including course sections that are conjoined or normally meet with each other as part of an instructional offering, such as when a section from both an “honors” course and from the related regular course share a common lecture.

Course Section - A course section, or section, is one or more students meeting together with an instructor(s) to complete the requirements of a formal instructional offering, identified by a specific subject field and course number.

Credit Hour - The semester hour is the unit of University academic credit that represents approximately three hours of work per week by an average student throughout a normal semester, or its equivalent in total work for short courses.

Distinguished and Named Professors - Individuals whose achievements in scholarship or research have been internationally recognized or who have made a unique contribution to the University through scholarship, research, teaching, or leadership functions.

Dual Level Courses - Courses numbered 500-599 that may be taken by either graduate or undergraduate students.

Extramural Awards - Awards received from outside sponsoring agencies such as the federal government, state and local governments, foreign governments, industrials and foundations, other universities, national laboratories, and other miscellaneous sponsoring agencies including Purdue Research Foundation. The awards support research, instruction, public service, and fellowship programs.

FTE (Full-Time Equivalency) - A numerical measure used for reporting purposes. For example, full-time equivalent students is calculated by summing total credit hours for a specific time period and dividing by 15 for undergraduate, professional and certificate students, and by 12 for graduate students. An FTE employee is defined as effort normally expected of a full-time employee. It is not defined as a particular course load for faculty nor by clock hours for staff; less than full-time staff FTE for faculty and exempt staff is established by mutual agreement between the supervisor and the staff member. FTE for non-exempt staff is based on a forty-hour work week.

Grade Index/Semester Grade Index - A grade average determined by weighting each grade received during a given semester by the number of semester hours of credit in each course.

IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Educational Data System) - A system of surveys under the federal Department of Education designed to collect institution-level data in such areas as enrollments, program completions, faculty, staff, and finances from all primary providers of postsecondary education.

IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis) - Administered by Indiana University to offer Purdue degree programs.

PMU - Purdue Memorial Union

Professional Students - Students who are enrolled in the School of Pharmacy or Veterinary Medicine professional programs.

PULSe - Purdue University Life Sciences program.

Recentered SAT Scores - All SAT test scores for tests taken on or after April 1, 1995, are reported on the recentered scale. Recentering reestablished the average SAT I verbal and math scores near the midpoint of the 200-to-800 scale. SAT II scores, which are linked to the SAT I scale, were also changed to reflect recentering.

SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) - The most widely taken college entrance examination, it is designed to test skill levels in math, vocabulary, and reading comprehension.

Section - See Course Section.

Semester - Regular fall and spring semesters as defined in the academic calendar for each campus.

SEOG (Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant) - A grant for undergraduates with exceptional financial need.

Summer Session - Regular summer session (eight weeks) or as defined in the academic calendar for each campus.

SVM - School of Veterinary Medicine.

WSCH (Weekly Student Class Hours) - A measure of instructional activity or load, it is the average number of "50-minute hours" per week that students are in organized class settings in contact with a teacher for instructional purposes. They are weekly averages using a sixteen-week semester as the base. Weekly student class hours are not generated by independent study types of instructions (i.e., by thesis research, experiential learning, individual study, and distance education).

Source: Office of Institutional Research