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 Below you will find a list of terms and departments that may be helpful when navigating the college environment.

Academic Advisors

Academic advisors help students clarify their educational and career goals, assist with the creation of students’ academic course schedules, and provide essential support and guidance throughout a college student’s educational journey. Academic advisors recognize and respond to diverse individual needs and differences among students related to student learning, personal and professional development, and ensure that students stay on track for graduation. 

Academic Probation

Warning to students who fail to maintain a semester and/or overall grade point average of 2.00 or above. Failure to increase GPA within a specific time period may result in academic dismissal. 

Academic Standing

Academic status within the institution. Students with a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or above are considered in good academic standing. Additionally, undergraduate students must maintain a minimum of 2.0 overall grade point average (GPA) to graduate from the university. 

Academic Year

Academic year consists of two 16-week semesters - fall and spring semesters (Optional summer semesters available).

Add/Drop

A week timeframe at the beginning of each semester where a student can drop out of or add a course to their schedule without impacting tuition cost or GPA. Prior to withdrawing from a course, students should contact the Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center to discuss the impact to financial aid. 

ASC

Academic Success Center.

Asynchronous Course

Students can access class materials or slide shows during different hours and from different locations. There is no set meeting time for these courses. 

BOW

Bowman Hall.

Canvas

Kent State’s online learning platform for students.  This can be accessed through Flashline and is where you can find most of your class materials such as syllabi, announcements, assignments, gradebooks, discussion boards, etc. 

Career Exploration & Development

This department provides exceptional career advising to students, as well as assistance with resume building, free professional headshots, professional development workshops and trainings, internships, and more.

Center for Student Involvement

The Center for Student Involvement (CSI) offers an array of resources that provide opportunities for leadership and participation in student-initiated projects and organizations. 

Class Levels

Freshman (0-29 credit hours earned), Sophomore (30-59 credit hours earned), Junior (60-89 credit hours earned), Senior (90+ credit hours earned). 

Co-Requisite

A course requirement that can be taken with another course simultaneously. 

College 

Academic organizational division of the university offering courses and curricular programs leading to baccalaureate and advanced degrees, as well as minors and certificates. Examples at �鶹��ѡ include University College, College of Business, College of Arts and Sciences, etc. 

Commencement

A campus-wide graduation ceremony to celebrate and recognize graduating seniors as they receive their degree. 

Concentration

An area of focus within a major. 

CRN (Course Reference Number)

5-digit number assigned to each course. This is the number that a student will use when registering for a course. 

CUE

Center for Undergraduate Excellence.

Dean’s List

To qualify for Dean’s List, and in recognition of academic excellence, students must have a 3.40 GPA or above and must have completed at least 12 letter-graded credit hours by the end of the semester. 

Dismissal

Students who fail to make adequate progress toward completion of a program of study or whose academic performance indicates little chance of obtaining the minimum grades required for graduation is no longer allowed to enroll at the university. A student may gain reentry to the university after a dismissal through a process called Reinstatement. 

FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is an application students and parents complete through the federal government’s Office of Federal Student Aid.  This application helps the government (and �鶹��ѡ) determine a student’s financial aid award package (based on financial need).  A student cannot receive many types of federal financial aid (including Pell Grants, Subsidized Loans, Unsubsidized Loans) nor grants/scholarships from states, �鶹��ѡ scholarship programs, etc. without a FAFSA on file. 

FERPA 

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 is a federal law that regulates access to student records and information by public entities. FERPA gives parents certain rights in regards to access to their students' records. These rights transfer to the student when the student turns 18. The financial information document submitted for student financial aid and supplies information concerning income, assets, expenses and liabilities. 

Financial Aid

Eligible students can receive financial assistance which is available in the form of grants, loans, scholarships and federal work-study employment. 

First Generation Student:

A college student whose parents or guardians did not complete a four-year degree. 

Flashes 101

Course that introduces students to the university, allows students to get familiar with university resources, connects students to network resources within the university (faculty, staff, upper division students and fellow classmates). 

FLASHcard

A identification card that is issued to registered students that is used for admittance into different types of events (athletic, cultural, social), borrowing library materials, purchasing needed goods and services on the debit plan or Dining Services plan. 

FLASHcash

A prepaid purchase plan for students, faculty or staff or anyone who visits �鶹��ѡ frequently. Students will make an initial deposit into their account and charges are deducted as purchases are made. 

Full-time Student

A student who is taking 12 credit hours or above. 

Grant

An award (like a scholarship) that is granted to an eligible student based upon determined financial needs and program criteria.  A grant does NOT need to be paid back.

GPS (Graduation Planning System)

A program that provides students with the program roadmap to degree completion which includes a real-time degree audit and individualized semester educational plan. 

Kent Core

Kiva

Auditorium attached to the Kent Student Center.

KSC

Kent Student Center

KSU ID

�鶹��ѡ nine-digit Identification number that begins with 810 or 811.

KSUNavigate

�鶹��ѡ advising system.  Among other things, this system allows students to schedule advising appointments with their Academic Advisors and schedule tutoring appointments for a variety of subjects.

MWF & TR

Course schedule abbreviation for class days of the week. Monday (M), Tuesday (T), Wednesday (W), Thursday (R), Friday (F). 

Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center

The Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center is the one resource where students can find access to resources for Financial Aid and Scholarships, Billing and Payment, Student Records and Academic Transcripts and Financial Wellness programming. 

Flashline Username

The username a �鶹��ѡstudent would use to log into most campus resources and portals. The eight characters before @kent.edu in a �鶹��ѡemail address serve as a username. 

Part-time Student

A student who is taking below 12 credit hours. 

Pell Grant

An award granted by the federal government directly to an undergraduate student who has demonstrated financial need based upon their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  This is awarded to students automatically and do not need to be paid back. 

Prerequisite

A course requirement that is required before enrollment into a more advanced course.

President’s List

To qualify for President’s list, and in recognition of extremely high level academic excellence, students must have a 4.00 GPA and must have completed 15 or more credit hours (regular grades) by the end of the semester. 

Provost

The Provost is senior vice president of academic affairs; chief academic officer. 

Remote / Distance Learning Course: 

Course is virtual and held online, typically via Canvas. 

Scholarships

A financial award given to an eligible student based on academic achievement, financial need, specific skills, and/or interest area. A scholarship is not a loan, and it does not need to be paid back.  Scholarships can be awarded by �鶹��ѡ or other organizations, businesses, non-profits, states, etc. 

SSP

Student Success Programs.

SSS

Student Support Services.

Student Green

The large green field in front of the Kent Student Center and the library.  

Student Hub

Located inside the Kent Student Center on the first floor. Food court area. 

Student Loans

Unlike grants and scholarships, student loans must be repaid.  The federal government awards Subsidized and Unsubsidized student loans.  Subsidized student loans do NOT accrue interest while a student is enrolled at �鶹��ѡ.  Unsubsidized student loans do accrue interest while a student is enrolled.  Both types of federal student loans have a 6-month grace period, which means they will not go into repayment until 6-months after a student graduates. 

Student Ombuds

A representative for students who is appointed by the university to assist students in resolving concerns, complaints and grievances through established channels. Information about Student Ombuds can be found here. 

Syllabus

An outline or summary of the main information for a course that a student is taking. 

Synchronous Course

These courses run in real time, with students and instructors attending the class together with a set meeting time, and either virtually or in-person. 

The "K"

The huge letter “K” in between the library and the Kent Student Center.

VSB (Visual Schedule Builder)

A tool used by students to schedule their courses using a Monday-Friday visual calendar. The GPS plan created by an Academic Advisor can be imported into the Visual Schedule Builder to provide an easy access to course planning.  

Withdrawal

Process by which a student removes a course from their schedule, subject to deadlines published on the Financial, Billing and Enrollment Center website. A mark of W will be recorded on the student transcript. 

Work-Study

An employment program based on financial aid needs. A student may be employed on campus for no more than 28 hours per week to earn money to help cover educational costs. Typically, work-study is paid to students through biweekly paychecks.