Glossary
A | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
Academic Level
The academic or student level as of the term census date. See also Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, and Senior.
Academic Year
Fall, winter, and spring terms
Acceptance Rate
The percentage of total applicants who were accepted/admitted.
Admitted Student
A student who has been formally admitted to the University.
Applicant
An individual who meets the institutional requirements for CSU admission, and who has been notified of one of the following actions: admission, non-admission, placement on waiting list, or application withdrawn by applicant or institution.
Applied to Enrolled Rate
The percentage of applicants who enrolled.
Average Class Size
The average number of students enrolled in all class sections as of census date.
C
Census Date
The end of four weeks following the first date of instruction.
Cohort Types
Retention and graduation rates are primarily reported for two cohort types: first-time freshman and first-time transfer students.
College Year
Summer, fall, winter, and spring terms.
Completed Application
An admission application that meets the requirements necessary to make an admissions decision.
Continuing Student
A student who is not new to the institution and had units attempted during the prior term of the regular sessions at the same level, e.g., undergraduate, graduate.
Course Level
The level of the course is based on the course number. Lower division courses are those with a course number less than 3000, upper division courses have a course number between 3000 and 4999, and graduate level courses are those with a course number of 5000 and over.
D
Degree Level
The level of the degree (or credential) being sought, e.g., bachelor's, credential, master's, doctoral. See also Program Level.
Degree Program
CSU approved degree program that identifies a student's degree program or major the applicant or student stated on their CSU admission application, enrolled in as of census date, and/or completed.
Degree Seeking
Students enrolled in courses for credit who are recognized by the institution as seeking a degree or other formal award. For IPEDS reporting, transitory/visiting students are considered non-degree seeking.
Direct Applicants
Applicants who applied directly to the campus.
E
Enrollment (Headcount)
The actual number of students enrolled, generally as of the term census date; a total count of the student body. The headcount enrollment is an unduplicated count, unless otherwise noted. See also Headcount Enrollment.
Enrollment Status
Classification of the current enrollment of a student as related to some prior enrollment or indicates the admission category for new students. Distinguishes between first time, continuing, returning, and transitory/visiting students.
Ethnicity
See Race/Ethnicity.
Exclusive Applicants
Applicants who applied to only one CSU campus.
F
FAFSA
Free Application for Federal Student Aid
First Generation College Student
Students who reported their parent(s)/guardian(s) highest level of education on the CSU admission application as less than a four-year college degree.
First Major
This is the first or primary program of study. If an undergraduate student has two declared majors, they will be categorized in the major they designated as their primary major. If a student is seeking a graduate degree and a credential, they will be categorized in the master's degree program.
First-Time Freshman
A student who has not previously enrolled at an institution of higher education, but may have earned some college units prior to matriculation.
Freshman
An undergraduate student with 0-29.9 semester units.
First-Time Transfer Cohorts
The first-time transfer cohorts include first-time transfer students from a California Community College enrolled full- or part-time as of the entering fall term census date and entering at the sophomore level and above. This criteria is consistent with the CSU's Graduation Initiative.
Full-Time First-Time Freshman Cohorts
The full-time first-time freshman cohorts include students enrolled in a least 12 units as of the entering fall term census date, and include students who attended college for the first time in the prior summer term and students who entered with advanced standing. This criteria is consistent with the CSU's Graduation Initiative.
Full-Time Equivalent Student (FTES)
Term FTES for undergraduate and postbaccalaureate students is the sum of total credit units attempted divided by 15. Term FTES for graduate students (master's or doctoral seeking) is the sum of the total credit units attempted divided by 12.
Full-Time Equivalent Faculty
Each full-time permanent faculty member is defined as 1.0 FTEF. Each part-time faculty member is defined as workload divided by 15. Faculty members in the Faculty Early Retirement Program (FERP) are defined as 0.5 FTEF.
Full-Time Status
For undergraduate students, full-time students are enrolled in 12 or more semester units as of census date. For postbaccalaureate and graduate students, full-time students are enrolled in 9 or more semester units as of census date.
G
Gender
Indicates the sex of the student or employee. The number of students/employees in the non-binary sex category is relatively small and therefore categorized as male or female according to federal IPEDS reporting guidelines.
Graduate Student
A student who holds an acceptable bachelor's degree and is enrolled in a graduate degree program (master's or doctoral).
Graduation Rate
The graduation rate generally refers to the proportion of entering fall students who earned a degree within a specified number of years. All graduation rate computations reflect degrees earned through the summer. For example, the 6 year graduation rate for the fall 2011 cohort reflects the percentage of the cohort earning their degrees through summer 2017. Reported rates are for degrees earned at Stanislaus campus. See cohort types for additional information.
H
Headcount Enrollment
The unduplicated number of students enrolled as of census date.
I
Incomplete Application
An admission application that lacks information that is necessary to make an admission decision.
Institution of Origin
The institution attended prior to attending the University.
Institution Type
The type of institution attended prior to attending the University.
Instructional FTEF
All faculty members are defined as workload divided by 15 regardless of their status.
J
Junior
An undergraduate student with 60-89.9 semester units.
M
Matriculation Type
Identifies whether a student is matriculated in a state-supported program or a self-supported CaPE degree program.
Mean Unit Load
Total term units attempted divided by the unduplicated headcount enrollment. Also known as average unit load.
N
Non-CA Resident (for fee purposes)
A student who is not a resident of CA for fee purposes. Includes students with a residence status of N (another state or U.S. possession), F (foreign country), and W (Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)).
Non-Resident
A student who is not a citizen or national of the United States and who is in the country on a visa or temporary basis and does not have the right to remain indefinitely.
O
Official Off-Campus Center
The Stanislaus State Stockton Campus is the University's official off-campus center. Stockton enrollment headcounts and FTES include students who are enrolled in at least one class with a Stockton location, including online/hybrid, as of census date.
P
Part-Time Status
For undergraduate students, part-time students are enrolled in less than 12 semester units as of census date. For postbaccalaureate and graduate students, part-time students are enrolled in less than 9 semester units as of census date.
Pell Grant Eligible
Students who meet the University and federal guidelines. Eligibility does not indicate if a student was awarded/received a federal Pell Grant.
Permanent Residence
The permanent residence at time of application; CA county for in-state applicants, other state for out-of-state applicants, and other country for international applicants.
Persistence Rate
A tracking rate which is the sum of those continuing as undergraduates and those who earned a degree during a defined period of years. It is essentially the sum of the retention and graduation rates.
Postbaccalaureate Student
A student who holds a bachelor's degree and is seeking a credential or no degree.
Program Level
The level of the degree (or credential) being sought, e.g., bachelor's, credential, master's, doctoral. See also Degree Level.
R
Race/Ethnicity
Students and employees are categorized according to federal reporting guidelines.
Redirected Applicants
Applicants who applied to another CSU campus and could not be accommodated and were redirected to the Stanislaus campus.
Resident
A student who is a California resident for fee purposes.
Retention Rate
The percentage of students who continue enrollment in the next semester. Retention rates are typically calculated based on fall-to-fall enrollment.
Returning Student
A student who is returning after a leave of absence and had to re-apply to the institution and did not attempt any units during their absence.
Returning Transfer Student
A student who is returning after a leave of absence and had to re-apply to the institution and attempted units at another institution during their absence.
S
Self-Supported Courses/Enrollment
Students enrolled in courses that are funded entirely by student fees.
State-Supported Courses/Enrollment
Students enrolled in courses that are partially funded by the state of California.
Stockton Headcount Enrollment
The unduplicated headcount of students enrolled in at least one class with a Stockton location, including online/hybrid, as of the term census date.
Stockton and Turlock Enrollment
The unduplicated headcount of students enrolled in at least one class with a Stockton location and at least one class with another location, including online/hybrid, as of the term census date.
Stockton FTES Enrollment
The total units attempted for students enrolled in at least one class with a Stockton location, including online/hybrid, divided by 12 for master's and doctoral students and divided by 15 for all other students.
Stockton Only Enrollment
The unduplicated headcount of students enrolled in one or more classes with a Stockton location only as of the term census date.
Student Credit Hours (SCH)
The amount of credit a student is given for completing a class during a semester in a typical lecture class, with the number of units equal to the number of class hours per week.
Student to Faculty Ratio
Defined as FTES divided by Instructional FTEF.
Student Type
Enrollment status as of the semester census date.
T
Transfer Student
An undergraduate student new to the University who is not a first-time freshman, does not hold an acceptable bachelor's degree from any institution, and has earned course credits from another postsecondary institution.
Transitory Student
Non-degree seeking student who is enrolled at another institution while taking courses at the University. Also referred to as a Visiting Student.
U
Undergraduate Student
A student not holding an acceptable bachelor's degree. For federal IPEDS reporting however, students seeking a 2nd bachelor's degree are included in the undergraduate enrollment.
Units Attempted
The number of credit units attempted as of census date.
Underrepresented Minorities (URM)
Students identified as Black or African America, American Indian or Alaska Native, and/or Hispanic/Latino. Also referred to as Traditionally Underrepresented.
Y
Yield Rate
The percentage of admitted applicants who enrolled.
Updated: October 14, 2025