This glossary explains the college finance, admissions and outcome terms used across Acceptance Rates. Use it when comparing school profiles, state pages and ranking pages.
- Acceptance rate
- The share of applicants a school admits, usually admitted applicants divided by total applicants.
- 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.
- Tuition
- The instructional charge for enrollment, separate from living costs, books, fees and transportation.
- Attendance cost
- A broader estimate that may include tuition, fees, housing, food, books and other student expenses.
- 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.
- 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.
- In-state vs out-of-state tuition
- Public schools often charge lower tuition to state residents and higher tuition to nonresidents.
For practical examples, start with the net price vs tuition guide, the acceptance rate guide, or the student outcomes guide.