Academic Level:  Undergraduates are classified as freshman, sophomore, junior or senior based on the total number of credit hours completed. Graduate students are classified as advanced certificate, master’s or doctorate based on program level. Students not matriculated into a degree-seeking program (including students cross- registered from neighboring colleges, high school students, and international exchange students) are classified as special/non-degree.

Academic Load:  A full-time course load is a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester for undergraduate students, and 9 credit hours per semester (or 6 credit hours per quarter) for graduate students. Anything less than this is considered part-time.

Headcount:  The unduplicated count of students for a given term.

FTE:  Full-time equivalent is a measurement equal to one student enrolled full time for one term. If a student is part time, it is the portion of a full-time course load that the student is taking. Full time at Clarkson is a minimum of: 12 credit hours for undergraduate students, and 9 credit hours per semester (or 6 credit hours per quarter) for graduate students.

5-Week Census:  Clarkson takes an official student enrollment census four times per year: the 5-week mark of the fall semester (includes fall quarter), the 5-week mark of the spring semester (includes winter quarter), the 5-week mark of the spring quarter, and August 1st for the summer semester/quarter. Clarkson's fall census is used for all official annual reporting.

Academic Year:  Clarkson's academic year runs from July 1st to June 30th. Undergraduates and graduate students in Potsdam follow a summer, fall, spring semester calendar. Graduate students in Education and Engineering Management follow the same summer, fall, spring semesters. Online graduate students and the Capital Region Campus follow a summer, fall, winter, spring quarter calendar.

Term:  Undergraduate and graduate residential programs follow a 15-week semester schedule in fall and spring, with a preceding 10-week summer session. Clarkson’s online and hybrid graduate programs follow a quarter calendar of four 12-week sessions in summer, fall, winter and spring.

Campus:  Clarkson University has four locations where students can enroll. The main campus is located in Potsdam, New York. Additional graduate programs are located at the Capital Region Campus in Schenectady, New York, in Beacon, New York, and in New York City.

School:  Academic programs are organized into three schools (School of Engineering, School of Business, and School of Arts & Sciences). Some interdisciplinary units and majors fall outside the three schools.

Department:  Academic units are grouped by similar and/or interdisciplinary fields of study, with interdisciplinary units including the Institute for a Sustainable Environment, the Institute for STEM Education, and The Clarkson School.

Major:  A course of study in a specific subject area or discipline leading to an academic degree. The academic field or discipline that a student chooses to focus on during his or her studies.

Student Level:  Advanced certificate, master’s and doctoral students are classified as graduate. Bachelor’s students are classified as undergraduate. Non-degree seeking students are classified as undergraduate or graduate as appropriate to their coursework.

Gender:  Indicates the biological sex of the student (i.e. male or female). Clarkson does not collect information regarding gender identity.

Class Standing:  Undergraduates are classified as freshman, sophomore, junior or senior based on the total number of credit hours completed. Graduate students are classified as advanced certificate, master’s or doctorate based on program level. Students not matriculated into a degree-seeking program (including students cross- registered from neighboring colleges, high school students, and international exchange students) are classified as special/non-degree.

Entering Cohort:  Degree-seeking students at the undergraduate or graduate level attending Clarkson for the first time are assigned to an entering cohort based on the term they started. An undergraduate student who has no prior postsecondary experience at any institution is classified as a ‘First Year’. An undergraduate student entering Clarkson for the first time but known to have previously attended another postsecondary institution is classified as a ‘Transfer’. A newly matriculated graduate student attending Clarkson for the first time, irrespective of prior postsecondary experience, is classified a

Course Load:  A full-time course load is a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester for undergraduate students, and 9 credit hours per semester (or 6 credit hours per quarter) for graduate students. Anything less than this is considered part-time.

Race/Ethnicity:  Race/ethnicity designations are used to categorize U.S. citizens and permanent residents following guidelines set out by the U.S. Department of Education. This information is self-reported by students every fall during term check-in. Non-U.S. residents are classified as International.

Underrepresented:  Students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and self-report as American Indian or Alaska Native, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, or Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander are classified as an ‘Underrepresented Minority’. This includes students who self-report multiple race/ethnicities with at least one from the above list.

Student Residency:  Students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents are classified as a New York State (NYS) resident or other U.S. resident based on permanent home address. Non-U.S. residents, irrespective of permanent home address, are classified as ‘Foreign’.

STEM Major:  Degree programs in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as defined by the U.S. National Science Foundation.