The Office of the Registrar's website includes a much more detailed Terms & Glossary page.
Academic level
Undergraduate or graduate
Citizenship, country of
The country to which an individual acknowledges citizenship. Country of citizenship is not the same as country of permanent residence.
Class level / standing
Students are classified on the basis of earned credits from all sources:
First-year: 0 - 29.9 credits
New first-year: students enrolled in college for the first time as first-year students
Other first-year: students who have been enrolled in college at the first-year level in the past and who are still first-year students based on their earned credits
Sophomores: 30 - 59.9 credits
Juniors: 60 - 89.9 credits
Seniors: 90 + credits
New graduates: students enrolled as graduate students for the first time
Other graduates: students who have been enrolled as graduate students in the past and who are still graduate students
Unclassified: students enrolled on a course-by-course basis in undergraduate or graduate classes as extramural (nondegree) students; students enrolled in certificate programs are included in this category
Common Data Set (CDS)
The Common Data Set (CDS) initiative is a collaborative effort among data providers in the higher education community and publishers as represented by the College Board, Peterson’s, and U.S. News & World Report. The combined goal of this collaboration is to improve the quality and accuracy of information provided to all involved in a student’s transition into higher education, as well as to reduce the reporting burden on data providers. Please see the Common Data Set Initiative site for more information.
Faculty
Faculty are employees whose primary occupational activity is instruction, research, or public service. They hold academic rank titles of professor, instructor, lecturer, or the equivalent of any of these academic ranks.
First-time full-time students (FTFT)
Students enrolled in college for the first time as first-year students on a full-time basis.
Full-time employee
An employee who works a full week, 37.5 or 40 hours, depending on the department, on a 12-month schedule with anticipated continued employment.
Full-time equivalent (FTE)
As reflected in AIR's fall, spring, and summer enrollment analyses as well as for internal planning purposes, the FTE for undergraduate students is the sum of credit hours attempted divided by 12 (UG full-time credit load). The FTE for graduate students is the sum of credit hours attempted divided by 9 for fall or spring, 6 for summer (GR full-time credit load). Each full-time student is counted as 1.0, even if they are taking credits beyond the full-time credit load thresholds of 12, 9, or 6 depending on their academic level and the semester.
For internal planning purposes, Faculty FTEs are sometimes calculated based on contract-based teaching load. Any AIR analysis that summarizes faculty FTEs will include notes about how the FTEs are calculated.
But there are many ways to calculate FTE; for example, the more streamlined approach where full-time = 1 and part-time = 1/3 as in the Common Data Set. Typically, AIR analyses that summarize FTEs will include notes about how the FTEs are calculated.
Full-time student
Full-time refers to a semester course load of 12 or more credits for undergraduate students and a semester course load of 9 or more credits for graduate students.
Gender
Beginning in 2022, the college is able to gather both legal sex and affirmed gender data as self-reported by students, including a non-binary gender marker designation.
Also starting in 2022, the college is able to gather affirmed gender data as self-reported by employees, including a non-binary gender marker designation. A separate legal sex designation is not gathered for employees.
When AIR reports student gender data, students’ affirmed gender is reflected if provided. If affirmed gender has not been provided, legal sex is reported.
If a student or employee’s gender is non-binary or unknown and reporting only allows binary gender or is done at levels that involve small numbers (which might compromise the confidentiality of people’s information), either the binary legal sex is reported (if available) or a binary gender is allocated. For students, this allocation is based on the proportion of men to women in their primary major, as recommended by IPEDS (the federal government's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System). For employees, this allocation is based on the proportion of men to women among all employees at the college.
Part-time employee
Persons on the payroll of the institution and classified by the institution as part-time.
Part-time student
Part-time refers to a semester course load of fewer than 12 credits for undergraduate students and a semester course load of fewer than 9 credits for graduate students.
Race / ethnicity
Categories used to describe groups to which individuals belong, identify with, or belong in the eyes of the community. The categories do not denote scientific definitions of anthropological origins. A person may be counted in only one group. The groups used to categorize U.S. citizens, noncitizens who are permanent U.S. residents (referred to by the federal government as resident aliens), and other eligible noncitizens are:
American Indian or Alaska Native: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) who maintains cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community attachment.
Asian: (new category beginning spring 2010) A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian Subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Asian or Pacific Islander: (category used prior to spring 2010) A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, and Pacific Islands. This includes people from China, Japan, Korea, the Philippine Islands, American Samoa, India, and Vietnam.
Black or African American: A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.
Hispanic or Latino: A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. People who report that they are Hispanic or Latino are only reported in this category, as required by federal reporting guidelines.
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: (new category beginning spring 2010) A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.
Two or more races: (new category beginning spring 2010) This category includes people who report that two or more of the following racial categories best describe them: White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.
White: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.
The following groups are used to categorize international people and individuals for whom we lack information:
International: A person who is not a citizen or national of the United States and who is in the U.S. on a visa or temporary basis and does not have the right to remain indefinitely. Referred to by the federal government as nonresidents.
Race/ethnicity unknown: Prior to 1996, "unknown" was not an accepted reporting category. In accordance with federal reporting guidelines, unknowns were statistically apportioned across race/ethnic categories in percentages consistent with the known population.
Note: All race / ethnicity definitions are those used by IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System). The federal government adopted new race/ethnicity reporting categories during 2008, to be implemented by higher education institutions by 2010-11. Ithaca College began using these new categories with student data during spring 2010.
Staff
Primary occupational activities of staff include library and other student and academic affairs; management; business and financial operations; computer, engineering, and science; community, social service, legal, arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media; healthcare practitioners; service; sales; office and administrative support; natural resources, construction, and maintenance, and production, transportation, and material moving. Staff primary occupational activity does not include classroom instruction of tuition-paying students and staff titles do not imply academic rank such as professor, associate or assistant professor, lecturer, or instructor.
Work study
Includes Federal Work-Study and IC Student Employment.