This glossary explains the college tuition, fee, financial aid, admissions and outcome terms used across tuitiondata.org. Tuition and affordability terms are listed first because they are the main focus of the site.
- Tuition
- The instructional charge for enrollment, separate from living costs, books, fees and transportation.
- Fees
- Additional school charges that may support technology, student services, activities, labs, health services or program-specific requirements.
- Tuition and fees
- Published school charges before grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are not the same as the full cost of attendance.
- In-state tuition
- The resident tuition rate usually charged by public colleges to students who meet state residency rules.
- Out-of-state tuition
- The nonresident tuition rate usually charged by public colleges to students who do not meet state residency rules.
- Net price
- Average cost after grants and scholarships, often a better affordability signal than sticker price.
- Sticker price
- The published cost before grants, scholarships or other aid lower the amount a student may pay.
- Attendance cost
- A broader estimate that may include tuition, fees, housing, food, books and other student expenses.
- Room and board
- Estimated housing and meal costs. These costs can make a lower-tuition school more expensive overall.
- Books and supplies
- Estimated course material and supply costs included in some attendance-cost fields.
- Other expenses
- Estimated personal, transportation or living expenses that may appear in a school cost profile.
- Net price calculator
- An official school tool that estimates a student-specific cost after grants and scholarships.
- Pell grant rate
- The share of students receiving federal Pell Grants, a need-based aid signal in federal education data.
- Federal loan rate
- The share of students using federal loans, useful for reading borrowing patterns alongside net price.
- Financial aid
- Grants, scholarships, work-study, loans and other resources that help students pay for college.
- Grant aid
- Aid that generally does not need to be repaid and can lower the net price a student pays.
- Acceptance rate
- The share of applicants a school admits, usually admitted applicants divided by total applicants.
- 150% completion rate
- The share of students completing within one and a half times the normal program length.
- 10-year earnings
- Median earnings reported for former students roughly 10 years after entering school where Scorecard data is available.
For practical examples, start with the college tuition and fees guide, the net price calculator guide, the college financial aid guide, or the net price vs tuition guide.