An abbreviation (acronym or initialism) is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase, usually using individual initial letters, as in ACC or FTIC. This list highlights some common terms and abbreviations used through the OIRA Site.

Term or Acronym
Definition or Meaning
Related Link/Resource
12TH CLASS DAY DATAdata for fall or spring classes, as of the 12th class day of the 16-week session.       (Official Reporting Date for the fall and spring semesters)
4TH CLASS DAY DATA (SECOND SUMMER SESSION)data for all summer classes, as of the 4th day of class of the second summer session.  (Official Reporting Date for the summer semester)
AAAssociate of Arts
AASAssociate of Applied Science
AATAssociate of Arts in Teaching
ABEAdult Basic Education
ACADEMIC SUPPORTincludes expenses incurred to provide support services for the institution’s primary missions: instruction, research, and public service. It includes the following activities:  the retention, preservation, and display of educational materials, such as libraries, museums, and galleries; the provision of services that directly assist the academic functions of the institution, such as demonstration schools associated with a department, school, or college of education; media such as audio-visual services and information technology; academic administration (including academic deans but not department chairpersons) and personnel providing administrative support and management direction to the primary missions; separately budgeted support for course and curriculum development.  For institutions that currently charge some of the expenses—for example, computing support—directly to the various operating units of the institution, this category does not reflect such expenses.
ACADEMIC YEAR (AY)begins the first day of the fall semester and ends the last day of the summer session of the following year.  For example, Academic Year 2017 began September 1, 2016 and ended August 31, 2017.
ACCAustin Community Collegeaustincc.edu
ACC TAXING DISTRICTtaxing jurisdictions that contribute funding for the College through property taxes.
ADJUNCT FACULTYnon-staffing table personnel including part-time instructors who are employed on a term basis.
ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNELexempt staffing table personnel including executive vice presidents, vice presidents, associate vice presidents, provost, deans, and some directors.
ADULT BASIC EDUCATION (ABE)courses designed primarily for students 16 years of age and older to improve basic skills in reading, writing, and arithmetic. 
ADVANCED TECHNICAL CERTIFICATE (CT4)a certificate that has a defined associate or baccalaureate degree as a prerequisite.  The CT4 must consist of at least 16 SCH and no more than 45 SCH. It must be focused, clearly related to the prerequisite degree, and justifiable to meet industry or external agency requirements.
AMPAcademic Master Plan
ANNUAL HEADCOUNTthe number of students enrolled in one or more courses with each student counted only once for the year.
ARQIPAdministrator Response to Quality Improvement Plan
ASAssociate of Science
ASPAcademic Support Plan
ASSIGNABLE SQUARE FOOTAGEthe amount of space, within the interior walls of a room, that can be used for programs .  Major room use categories are: classrooms, laboratories, offices, study areas, special use space, general use areas, support rooms, health care, residential, and unclassified space. 
ASSOCIATE OF APPLIED SCIENCE (AAS)awarded to students who successfully complete the prescribed courses in any of the occupational-technical programs and the requisite 15 semester credit hours taken from the approved general education course list.
ASSOCIATE OF ARTS (AA)awarded to students who complete at least 60 semester credit hours, 42 of which must be taken from the core curriculum and eight semester credit hours of foreign language courses (all courses must be in the same foreign language).
ASSOCIATE OF ARTS IN TEACHING (AAT)awarded to students who complete a degree aimed at those who wish to become certified teachers; includes the 42-semester credit hour core curriculum.
ASSOCIATE OF SCIENCE (AS)awarded to students who complete at least 60 semester credit hours, 42 of which must be taken from the core curriculum, including six to eight semester credit hours of natural science courses.
ATDAchieving the Dreamachievingthedream.org
AUXILIARYexists to furnish goods or services to students, faculty, staff, other institutional departments, or incidentally to the general public, and charges a fee directly related to, although not necessarily equal to, the cost of the goods or services. The distinguishing characteristic of an auxiliary enterprise is that it is managed to operate as a self-supporting activity. Over time, the revenues will equal or exceed the expenses, although in any individual year there may be a deficit or a surplus. Examples are residence halls, food services, intercollegiate athletics (only if essentially self-supporting), college stores, faculty clubs, parking, and faculty housing. Student health services, when operated as an auxiliary enterprise, also are included. Hospitals, although they may serve students, faculty, or staff, are classified separately because of their financial significance.  The auxiliary enterprise category includes all expenses relating to the operation of auxiliary enterprises, including expenses for operation and maintenance of plant, depreciation (if allocated to functional expense categories) and administration. Also included are other direct and indirect costs, whether charged directly as expenses or allocated as a proportionate share of costs of other departments or units. To ensure that data regarding individual auxiliary enterprises are complete and adequate for management decisions, cost data should be prepared using full costing methods. Full costing means that the costs attributed to each enterprise includes a portion of indirect costs related to that enterprise, as well as the costs directly attributable to its operation.
AVPAssociate Vice President
AWARDis any combination of courses and/or requirements leading to a degree or certificate.
AYAcademic Year
BOTBoard of Trustees
BUILDING GROSS SQUARE FOOTAGEthe sum of all square feet of floor areas within the outside faces of a building’s exterior walls.
CBMCoordinating Board
CBM###Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Report ###
CCCCore Curriculum Completer.
CEContinuing Education
CENTERSnon-campus locations that are staffed, have regular posted hours, and offer credit courses on a regular basis (every semester).
CERTIFICATEawarded to students who complete one of the approved certificate programs.
CGCluster Group
CHContact Hours
CICGCredit Instruction Cluster Group
CIPCLASSIFICATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS (IPEDS)nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/cip2000/
CISDConsolidated Independent School District
CLASSIFIED PERSONNELnon-exemptstaffing table personnel including administrative assistants, building attendants, clerks, library assistants, technical staff assistants, some technicians, etc.
CONTACT HOURan instructional unit of time in which a student has contact with an instructor; includes lecture and/or laboratory time.   
CONTINUING EDUCATIONnon-credit courses and programs, often in adult workforce or avocational areas.  
CORE CURRICULUMconsists of 42 credits that will automatically transfer to all Texas public colleges and universities.  If a student satisfies all component areas, that block of courses must be substituted for the receiving institution’s core curriculum.
CORE CURRICULUM COMPLETER (CCC)a student that successfully completes the core curriculum.
COURSE ENROLLMENTthe number of students registered for a course.
CREDIT TEACHING FACULTYfaculty who teach college credit courses; includes staffing table full-time and non-staffing table adjunct faculty.
CT1Level 1 Certificate.
CT2Level 2 Certificate.
CT3Enhanced Skills Certificate.
CT4Advanced Technical Certificate.
CTGClosing The Gaps (THECB)highered.texas.gov
CTSCorporate Training Solutions
CYPCypress Creek Campusaustincc.edu/campuses
DAY AND EVENING STUDENTSstudents enrolled both  in courses that begin before 5:30 P.M. and those that begin after 5:30 P.M.
DAY ONLY STUDENTSstudents enrolled only in courses that begin before 5:30 P.M.
DCILDual Credit Independent Learners
DEBT SERVICEinterest and matured principal related to outstanding debt obligations - may be either the cash outlay needed or the amount accrued for meeting such payment during any accounting period.
DEGREEan award given as official recognition for the successful completion of a program of studies.
DEPRECIATIONshould be calculated in accordance with the institution’s capitalization and depreciation policies.  Depreciation expense is considered both a functional and natural expense category. In addition, when functional expenses are reported in the Statement of Revenues, Expenses, and Changes in Net Assets (SRECNA), depreciation expense can be allocated to other functions such as instruction, research and student services, or allocated only to plant operation and maintenance expenses, or reported separately. When depreciation expense is reported as a functional expense, depreciation for all activities (educational and general, auxiliary enterprises, and hospitals) may be combined and reported as one amount in the SRECNA.  Alternatively, it may be segregated between these activities if the SRECNA has separate columns or other means to delineate expenses between these activities.  The allocation methodology may be either a simple or complex one such as a multiple allocation approach. Generally, depreciation expense for buildings may be allocated based on the usage of the buildings. This is accomplished by a periodic inventory of the usage of the space in each building. Depreciation expense on equipment may be allocated to other functions based upon the location of the equipment and the use of that space. This is also accomplished through a periodic inventory of the equipment.
DFWDrop Fail Withdrawl
DIRsee Direct Study Course.
DIRECT STUDY (DIR) COURSEstudents spend time at a social service, health, or government institution or other sites as a major part of their coursework; also have meetings on campus.
DISTANCE LEARNINGincludes non-traditional courses offered through Directed Studies, Hybrid courses, Instructional Television, Online, and Print-Based courses.
DISTANCE LEARNING WITH CAMPUS REQUIREMENTcourse instruction is online. Tests are taken in the Instructional Testing Centers on campus. Distance Testing is not allowed. Students need to be aware of the on-campus testing requirement when registering.
DISTANCE TESTINGmost distance learning courses, including online classes, require you to take at least one proctored exam. If you live outside the Austin area or cannot travel to an ACC Testing Center, you may be able to have exams proctored at another location through the Distance Testing program.  Note: Distance Testing is not allowed for DLC courses.
DLCsee Distance Learning with Campus Requirement.
DOEDepartment of Educationed.gov
DRData Request
DUAL CREDITcollege courses that may count for both high school and college credit upon successful completion.
DUPLICATED HEADCOUNToccurs when a student is counted more than one time because they are enrolled in more than one course.  For example, a student who attends several courses at one location and one or more courses at a second location is counted twice, once at each location.
DUPLICATED RACE/ETHNICITYstudents may be counted in more than one category based on their Race/Ethnicity selection with one exception: if students selected “Non-Resident Alien,” they were counted only as “Non-Resident Alien” (regardless of whether they selected an additional race/ethnicity).
EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL (ECHS)blends high school and college in a rigorous yet supportive program, compressing the time it takes to complete a high school diploma and the first two years of college.
EARLY COLLEGE START (ECS)high school students that are taking college courses that may count for both high school and college credit upon successful completion.
ECHSsee Early College High School.
ECSsee Early College Start.
EGNElgin Campusaustincc.edu/campuses
ENHANCED SKILLS CERTIFICATE (CT3)any certificate for which a student must meet certain eligibility requirements prior to entry into the program. A CT2 program may consist of between 30 SCH and 51 SCH. Students enrolling in these programs are subject to the TSI requirements and may be subject to other eligibility requirements as determined by the institution.
ENROLLMENTsee Course Enrollment.
EOTEnd of Term
ERPEnterprise Resource Planning
ESLEnglish as Second Language
EVCEastview Campusaustincc.edu/campuses
EVENING ONLY STUDENTSstudents enrolled only in courses that begin after 5:30 P.M.
EVPExecutive Vice President
FAFSAFree Application for Federal Student Aidstudentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid
FASBFinancial Accounting Standards Boardfasb.org
FDEFirst Day Extract
FICE CODEFederal Interagency Committee on Education Code (IPEDS)
FIELD OF STUDY (FOS)facilitates transferability of lower-division academic courses among Texas public colleges and universities.
FINANCIAL AIDgrants, loans, assistantships, scholarships, fellowships, tuition waivers, tuition discounts, veteran’s benefits, employer aid (tuition reimbursement) and other monies (other than relatives/friends) provided to students to meet expenses.  This includes subsidized and unsubsidized loans made directly to students.
FIRST-TIME-IN-COLLEGE STUDENT (FTIC)a student who has never attended college or any other postsecondary institution.  Students are not reported as first-time-in-college until they have completed their high school work.
FISCAL YEAR (FY)an accounting period for 12 months that begins on September 1 and continues through August 31 of the following year.
FOSsee Field of Study.
FTACCFirst Time at ACC
FTICFirst Time in College
FTPFile Transfer Protocol
FTSEFull Time Student Equivalent
FULL-TIME (FACULTY)staffing table personnel with faculty status including counselors, librarians, and teaching faculty.
FULL-TIME (STUDENT)all Full-Time enrollment status for a semester, including summer, is based on 12 or more semester credit hours (SCH).  Under federal Financial Aid guidelines, a student is considered full-time if they are enrolled for at least 75% of the normal full-time credit hour load. For institutions operating on a semester calendar, the normal full-time load is 15 semester credit hours for the fall or spring semester.
FULL-TIME STUDENT EQUIVALENT (FTSE)the total semester credit hours divided by 15, which is considered to be a full-time course load.
FYFiscal Year
FYSEFirst Year Seminar
GASBGovernment Accounting Standards Boardgasb.org
GEDGeneral Education Development
GED GRADUATEa student who successfully passed the General Education Development (GED) exam.
GENERAL EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT (GED)an exam for students whose high school education was interrupted.
GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD (GASB)establishes accounting standards for local and state entities including governmental colleges and universities.
GPAGrade Point Average
HBCHighland Business Center
HEGIS(IPEDS) - The Higher Education General Information Survey
HLCHighland Campusaustincc.edu/campuses
HRHuman Resources
HTMLHyper Text Markup Language
HYBRID (HYD) COURSEstudents complet most coursework online with some mandatory clasroom/lab meetings scheduled.
HYSHayes Campusaustincc.edu/campuses
IN-DISTRICTstudents who live within ACC’s tax-paying districts and pay taxes in support of the college and receive lower in-district tuition rates.  Students who live or own property within the City of Austin or the Austin, Del Valle, Elgin, Hays, Leander, Manor, or Round Rock Independent School Districts, as well as portions of Eanes and Pflugerville Independent School Districts are considered in-district students.
INACTIVE PROGRAMis a program that is no longer offered.
INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT (ISD)is a type of school district for primary and secondary education, which operates as an entity that is independent and separate from any municipality, county, or state. The administrative leadership of such districts is selected from within the district itself and has no direct responsibility to any other governmental authority. This independence normally also implies that the district has its own taxing authority that is outside of the direct control of other governmental entities.
INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORTincludes expenses for central, executive-level activities concerned with management and long-range planning for the entire institution, such as the governing board, planning and programming operations, and legal services; fiscal operations, including the investment office; administrative information technology (when not accounted for in other categories); space management; employee personnel and records; logistical activities that provide procurement, storerooms, printing; transportation services to the institution; support services to faculty and staff that are not operated as auxiliary enterprises; and activities concerned with community and alumni relations, including development and fund raising.  Appropriate allocations of institutional support should be made to auxiliary enterprises, hospitals, and any other activities not directly related to the primary programs—instruction, research, or public service—or their related support categories.
INSTRUCTIONincludes expenses for all activities that are part of an institution’s instruction program. Expenses for credit and noncredit courses; academic, vocational, and technical instruction; remedial and tutorial instruction; and regular, special, and extension sessions should be included. Expenses for departmental research and public service that are not separately budgeted should be included in this classification. This category excludes expenses for those academic personnel whose primary activity is administration—for example, academic deans.
INSTRUCTIONAL TELEVISION (ITV)using recorded video programs shown on cable TV.
INTERNATIONALis a student or exchange visitor in the United States with F, M, or J non-immigrant status.
IPCInstitutional Plannning Council
IPEDSIntegrated Postsecondary Education Data Systemnces.ed.gov/ipeds
IPRInstructional Program Review
IPRSInstructional Program Review Summary
IRInstitutional Research
IRBInstitutional Review Board
ISDIndependent School District
ITVsee Instructional Television.
LEVEL 1 CERTIFICATE (CT1)can be completed by a student in one calendar year or less. It must consist of at least 15 SCH and no more than 42 SCH. Level one certificate programs are exempt from TSI requirements, but certificate programs may perform local assessment and remediation of students, provided that these activities do not exclude the student from enrollment in the certificate program.
LEVEL 2 CERTIFICATE (CT2)any certificate for which a student must meet certain eligibility requirements prior to entry into the program. A CT2 program may consist of between 30 SCH and 51 SCH. Students enrolling in these programs are subject to the TSI requirements and may be subject to other eligibility requirements as determined by the institution.
MIPMini Improvement Plan
MOUMemorandum of Understanding
MSAMarketable Skills Award
MSAMetropolitan Statistical Area
MTDMid Term Date. For Fall and Spring terms, this date refers to the last add/drop period of the 2nd 8-weeks session. For Summer term, this date refers to the last add/drop period of the 2nd 5.5-weeks session.
NAICSNorth American Industry Classification Systemnaics.com
NCBONon-Course Based Option
NCCBPNational Community College Benchmark Projectnccbp.org
NCESThe National Center for Education Statistics
NON-RESIDENT ALIENis self-reported race/ethnicity category for a student who is not a citizen or permanent resident of the United States and who is in this country on a temporary basis and does not have the right to remain indefinitely.    
NRGNorthridge Campusaustincc.edu/campuses
OCCUPATIONAL SKILLS ACHIEVEMENT (MSA)a sequence of credit courses totaling 9-14 semester credit hours or workforce continuing education courses totaling 144-359 contact hours. 
ODSOperational Data Store
OFFICIAL REPORTING DATESFall/Spring:  12th Class Day - Summer:  4th Class Day (Second summer session)
OIRAOffice of Institutional Research and Analytics
ONLOnline Course.
ONLINE (ONL) COURSEstudents complete coursework online and are required to take proctored exams in an ACC Testing Center or at an approved Distance Testing site.
ORDOfficial Reporting Date
OUT-OF-DISTRICTa student who is a Texas resident but lives outside the ACC taxing district.  An additional per credit hour out-of-district fee is charged to out-of-district students.
OUT-OF-STATEa student who has not been a Texas resident for at least one year.
PART-TIME (STUDENT)all Part-Time enrollment status for a semester, including summer, is based on less than 12 credit hours (SCH).
PARTICIPANTa student who completes all required baseline assessments and 12 instructional contact hours in the Adult Basic Education (ABE), General Education Development (GED), or English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) program.
PGMProgram of Study.
PINPinnacle Campusaustincc.edu/campuses
PLANT OPERATIONSincludes all expenses for the administration, supervision, operation, maintenance, preservation, and protection of the institution’s physical plant. They include expenses normally incurred for such items as janitorial and utility services; repairs and ordinary or normal alterations of buildings, furniture, and equipment; care of grounds; maintenance and operation of buildings and other plant facilities; security; earthquake and disaster preparedness; safety; hazardous waste disposal; property, liability, and all other insurance relating to property; space and capital leasing; facility planning and management; and central receiving. It does not include interest expense on capital-related debt.  This category may be allocated to the other functional categories based on an acceptable allocation methodology such as square footage of buildings.
PRINT-BASED (PRN) COURSEstudents use textbooks and study guides.
PRNsee Print-based Course.
PROFESSIONAL/TECHNICAL PERSONNELexempt staffing table personnel including analysts, some coordinators, managers, some specialists, staff interpreters, and supervisors.
PROGRAM OF STUDY (PGM)represents the program area and is not an award.
PSFProgram Status Form
PUBLIC SERVICEincludes expenses for activities established primarily to provide non-instructional services beneficial to individuals and groups external to the institution. These activities include community service programs (excluding instructional activities) and cooperative extension services. Included in this category are conferences, institutes, general advisory services, reference bureaus, radio and television, consulting, and similar non-instructional services to particular sectors of the community.
QIPQuality Improvement Plan
RFPRequest for Proposal
RGCRio Grande Campusaustincc.edu/campuses
RRCRound Rock Campusaustincc.edu/campuses
RVSRiverside Campusaustincc.edu/campuses
SACSouth Austin Campusaustincc.edu/campuses
SACSSouthern Association of Colleges and Schoolssacscoc.org
SACSCOCSouthern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Collegessacscoc.org
SAPSatisfactory Academic Progress
SAPStandards of Academic Progress (Financial Aid)
SASStatistical Analysis Systemsas.com
SCHSemester Credit Hour
SCHOLARSHIPSgenerally, public institutions report tuition discounts and allowances and scholarships as reductions of tuition and fees revenues.  Institutional resources provided in excess of amounts owed by the students, and refunded to students, should be recorded as expenses. NACUBO Advisory Report 2000-5 sets forth and illustrates the appropriate accounting and reporting or various types of tuition discounts and scholarships.  The scholarships and fellowships category includes expenses for scholarships and fellowships—from restricted or unrestricted funds—in the form of grants to students, resulting from selection by the institution or from an entitlement program. The category also includes trainee stipends, prizes, and awards. Trainee stipends awarded to individuals who are not enrolled in formal course work should be charged to instruction, research, or public service. Recipients of grants are not required to perform service to the institution as consideration for the grant, nor are they expected to repay the amount of the grant to the funding source. When services are required in exchange for financial assistance, as in the College Work-Study program, charges should be classified as expenses of the department or organizational unit to which the service is rendered. Aid to students in the form of tuition or fee remissions also should be included in this category. However, remission of tuition or fees granted because of faculty or staff status, or family relationship of students to faculty or staff, should be recorded as staff benefits expenses in the appropriate functional expense category.
SEMESTER CREDIT HOUR (SCH)a unit of measure of instruction consisting of 60 minutes of which 50 minutes must be direct instruction.  For example, PSYC-2301 meets for three hours a week and is worth three semester credit hours.
SERVICE AREAthe territory in which the College provides services.
SITE-BASED INSTRUCTIONincludes credit classes staffed by ACC but offered at locations not owned by ACC.
SOCStandard Occupational Classificationbls.gov/soc
SQLStructured Query Language
SSIStudent Satistfaction Inventory - Noel-Levitz Survey
SSIStudent Success Initiative
SSRSupport Services Review
STAFFING TABLE PERSONNELpersonnel in an annually budgeted position including full-time faculty, non-exempt (Classified), and exempt (Professional-Technical) employees who are eligible for benefits. Hourly and adjunct faculty are not included as staffing table employees.
STEMScience, Technology, Engineering and Math
STUDENT HEADCOUNTthe number of students enrolled in one or more courses.  This number may be duplicated or unduplicated.
STUDENT SERVICESincludes expenses incurred for offices of admissions and the registrar and activities with the primary purpose of contributing to students’ emotional and physical well-being and intellectual, cultural, and social development outside the context of the formal instruction program. It includes expenses for student activities, cultural events, student newspapers, intramural athletics, student organizations, intercollegiate athletics (if the program is not operated as an auxiliary enterprise), counseling and career guidance (excluding informal academic counseling by the faculty), student aid administration, and student health service (if not operated as   an auxiliary enterprise).
SUNSET PROGRAMA program that is no longer active, but students already in the pipeline may be allowed to complete the degree plan.
SVCService Center
SWOTStrengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats
TACCTexas Association of Community Collegestacc.org
TAIRTexas Association of Institutional Researchtexas-air.org
TEATexas Education Agencytea.texas.gov
TECTexas Education Codestatutes.legis.state.tx.us/?link=ed
TEMPORARY FULL-TIME FACULTYadjunct faculty who teach a full-time load on a temporary basis and receive benefits.
TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD (THECB)a statutory 15-member board appointed by the Governor.  It is responsible for statewide planning and policy-making to assure quality and efficiency in Texas higher education.  The Board’s primary areas of responsibility are financial planning, senior colleges and universities, community colleges and continuing education, health affairs, student services, and campus planning.
TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION (TWC)evaluates and provides partial funding for the Adult Education Program.
THECBTexas Higher Education Coordinating Boardthecb.state.tx.us
TIPSThe Informational Portal Systemaustincc.edu/tips
TSITexas Success Initiativeaustincc.edu/admissions/tsi-assessment
TUITIONamount of money charged to students for instructional services.
TWCTexas Workforce Commissiontwc.state.tx.us
U-LEADUnit-Level Effectiveness Assessment Documentation
UNDUPLICATED HEADCOUNTthe sum of students enrolled in credit courses with each student counted only once during the reporting period.
UNDUPLICATED RACE/ETHNICITYstudents were counted in only one category based on their                   Race/Ethnicity selection.  “Two or more” includes non-Hispanic students that selected more than one race category.
VCTVirtual College of Texasdigitex.org
VFAVoluntary Framework of Accountability
WDCWorkforce Development Center