students playing 4 square volleyball on college campus

Your Cheat Sheet to College Lingo

Don’t understand any of the college lingo your student is using? This list of terms will have you up to speed in no time.

College Lingo

A B C D F G H I M P R S T U
There are currently 5 terms in this directory beginning with the letter D.
Dean:
Person in charge of each school at the university. See Schools.
Deficiency:
Area of academics in which students are not proficient to the college level and must enroll in zero-level courses.
Degree Check/Audit:
Prior to graduation, this is completed to make sure students have completed all requirements.
Department Head:
Person in charge of each department at the university. See Departments.
Department:
Contained within a school offering academic programs; for example Business Department, Visual Arts Department, and Biology Department. See Departments.