CURRENT STUDENTS

Academic History
A list of all completed courses and grades. Also shows transfer/test credit and GPA.

Academic Level
Undergraduate or graduate. Levels are associated with students, programs of study, courses, course sections and academic policies.

Academic Period
Typically referred to as a semester or term, a length of time with defined start and end dates. RISD has four academic periods: fall, winter, spring and summer.

Academic Plan
Students may map the classes they will take each semester to complete their program of study. RISD provides a template for most students. The plan can be used in conjunction with academic progress that shows progression toward meeting degree requirements.

Academic Progress
Sometimes referred to as a degree audit, a list of requirements to complete the student’s program of study. The report indicates which requirements are satisfied, in progress and not satisfied. The report does not indicate when students should take the classes.

Academic Requirement
An element of the academic progress tool that outlines the requirements to complete a program of study. An academic requirement is typically a required course. Exceptions to requirements may be requested and recorded in Workday.

Academic Standing
To remain at RISD, students must meet certain academic requirements such as a minimum GPA. Students can have good standing, have a warning of probation, be on probation or be subject to dismissal.

Academic Unit
An academic entity of RISD, such as an academic department or division. Academic units contain programs of study, students, courses and course sections.

Academic Year
At RISD, the academic year comprises the summer, fall, winter and spring academic periods in that order. RISD awards financial aid and publishes an academic catalog based on academic year.

Award Letter
A letter that details federal, state, institutional, and private student financial aid.

Award Year
At RISD, the award year comprises the summer, fall, winter and spring academic periods in that order. RISD awards financial aid based on the award year.

Class Standing
First-year, sophomore, junior, senior, non-degree or graduate. For undergraduates, the standing is determined by the number of credits earned including transfer/test credits, not by the number of years in attendance.

Contact Hours
The number of hours the course meets per week.

Cost of Attendance (COA)
The total cost to attend school for the academic year.

Course
A class. For example, FOUND 1001.

Course Section
An offering in a specific academic period (semester) of a specific course. For example, FOUND 1001 offered in Spring 2023.

Declare Date
When a student started the program of study.

Delivery Mode
How a course section is taught: in person, online or hybrid (a combination of in-person and online instruction).

Disbursement
Payment of funds to the borrower by the school. Can be scheduled or anticipated and actual (when funds are paid out).

Eligibility Rule
Typically used to define requirements to register for a course.

Expected Completion Date
The approximate date the student is anticipated to graduate.

Friends and Family
Student may optionally provide friends and family with access to view their class schedule and/or grades.

Grading Basis
Determines which grades an instructor may assign. Generally classes have a Graded basis that allows A-F. The alternative is pass/fail.

Hold
A tag on a student’s account that may block the ability to register and/or receive transcripts.

Instructional Format
The type of class: lecture, seminar, studio or workshop.

Interim Grade
A check-in grade providing by the instructor roughly midway through the semester. The grade is not part of the student’s permanent academic record and does not factor into the GPA.

Load Status
Whether a student is enrolled full time, half time, three-quarter time, half time or less than half time. For fall and spring semesters a student must register for 12 credits to be considered full time.

Loan Period
The portion of the academic year for which the loan is requested.

Master Promissory Note (MPN)
A legal document that is a promise to repay a federal student loan or loans and any accrued interest and fees to the lender or loan holder. There is one MPN for direct subsidized or unsubsidized loans and a different MPN for direct PLUS loans.

Program of Study
An educational objective such as a bachelor of fine arts with a major of glass. Programs of study include concentrations and focus areas.

Program of Study Status
The state of a student’s educational objective, typically a major. In progress and matriculated indicate the student is active in the objective; discontinued and institutional withdrawal indicate the student is no longer participating in the objective; leave of absence indicates the student is on a temporary break from RISD.

Reserve Capacity
Specifies the number of course section seats to hold for a students who meet a specified eligibility rule. For example, a department could hold 7 out of 20 seats for students pursuing a specific major.

Satisfactory Academic Progress
Separate from academic standing, satisfactory academic progress (SAP) requires the student to maintain minimum academic standings to continue to receive financial aid. Students must maintain at least a 2.0 GPA and pass 67% of their classes.

Saved Schedule
Students may place course sections in their saved schedule and then register for those classes at a later date. Placing a class in a saved schedule does not guarantee the student a seat.

Scheduled Award
The maximum grant amount a student is eligible to receive for the award year if they are enrolled full-time for the full school year. This amount is calculated from the information the student and their family provided when filing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Section Status
Preliminary indicates a course section in draft mode that is not shown to students and for which students may not be registered; open indicates the course is available for registration; closed means it has reached capacity; canceled indicates the course has been removed from the schedule of classes.

Transfer Credit
Credit taken at collegiate institution that is transferable to RISD.