Glossary

The status of a document that has been received, processed and approved.

The abbreviation for Adjusted Gross Income; this figure, found on the Form 1040, is the total gross income minus specific reductions.

The abbreviation for Advanced Placement, a level of classes offered in many high schools.

The scholarship amount given to the winning recipient.

The application status indicating that ALL requirements for an application have been received and processed and no further action is needed from the applicant; this is the final status needed for an application with ISTS.

The button an applicant must click within their application in order for a recommender to receive e-mailed instructions for a supplement of any type.

The final date by which all documents and applications must be received. (Please note that deadline extensions are very rare).

The act of setting aside a scholarship award for future use.

The abbreviation for Expected Family Contribution; this is an estimate of the parents’ and/or student’s ability to contribute to post-secondary education expenses. Generally speaking – the lower the EFC, the higher the financial aid award (Zero is the lowest EFC number and 99,999 is the highest).

The U.S. Individual Income Tax Return, used for personal (individual) federal income tax returns filed with the IRS; Form 1040 consists of two full pages plus any relevant attachments.

A Grade Point Average calculated when all classes are graded on a standard scale. (Please see your high school for your specific grading scale).

A Grade Point Average calculated when additional points are awarded for more advanced courses (Honors, Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate) and classes are graded on a varying scale. (Please see your high school for your specific grading scale).

The abbreviation for International Baccalaureate, a type of class offered by some high schools.

The selection of a student to apply for a scholarship program that is not open to all students; this form is typically completed by an informed academic party.

The status to denote that an application is in progress but a required online form has not been requested by the applicant or opened by the Recommender; the applicant must generate a request through their online application to begin this supplemental process.

The alphabetic designation representing a specific scholarship program; each application will have a designated code for access.

A letter or online form (depending on the requirements of the scholarship program) describing the assets or character of the student; this form is typically completed by an informed academic party.

A scholarship that is paid in subsequent years after the initial year; usually dependent upon an applicant meeting certain program requirements.

The process of proving eligibility and meeting requirements for additional awards from a renewable scholarship program.

The Student Aid Report (SAR) is a paper or electronic document that gives you some basic information about your eligibility for federal student aid and lists your answers to the questions on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If you provided a valid e-mail address on your FAFSA, you will receive an e-mail with instructions on how to access an online copy of your SAR. If you did not provide a valid e-mail address on your FAFSA, the Social Security Number you included in your FAFSA did not match the one on file for you with the Social Security Administration, or you did not sign your FAFSA, you will receive either a SAR or a SAR Acknowledgement via postal mail. Typically, you will be able to access your SAR within two weeks of filing your FAFSA. Note: Any student with a Federal Student Aid PIN can view or print his/her SAR by clicking Login on the FAFSA on the Web home page to log in, then selecting either the PDF or HTML version of the SAR from the “My FAFSA” page. To determine what type of SAR you should receive and when you should receive it, visit http://studentaid.ed.gov/fafsa/next-steps/student-aid-report#how-and-when.

The status to denote an application is in progress and the required online form(s) has been successfully requested by the applicant, but the supplement has not been successfully submitted by the requested party.

The status to denote that all required fields within the form (application or supplement) have been answered and the online form has been submitted. However, this is NOT the same as “Complete” when all requirements of the application have been submitted, processed and verified.

A form to be filled out by a third party individual (i.e. Recommendation, Verification, Nomination or Reference Form). An addendum to the online application.

Any character or symbol that is not a number or a letter (such as # or &). Asked for when creating a password.

The T1 General or T1 (entitled Income Tax and Benefit Return) is the form used in Canada by individuals to file their personal income tax return. Individuals with tax payable during a calendar year must use the T1 to file their total income from all sources, including employment and self-employment income, interest, dividends, and capital gains, rental income, and so on.