Higher Education Jargon - What do these words mean?!

Hi Everyone :wavey:

Beginning your journey to higher education can be super exciting, but it can also feel like you’re learning a totally new language with all of the different jargon thrown around! So here, we’ve created this handy thread to help you decode some of the most common higher education lingo you might come across just to make things a little easier for you.

Academics - Sometimes also referred to as a Lecturer - these are teaching staff at a University. :albertein:

Adviser - Someone who assists students in navigating their academic journey, make informed decisions about their courses, education and career goals. They might also help you to understand how to proceed through the university application process.

Alumni - This is a person who has already graduated from an educational institution. :smartass:

Applicant Day - These are events, typically held on campus at your chosen university, where you will have the opportunity to explore your chosen subject in more detail after you have applied.

Bachelor's Degree - This is an academic qualification awarded by universities and other higher education institutions, for example, BA (Bachelor of Arts), BSc (Bachelor of Science) or LLB (Bachelor of Law) just to name a few. :deal:

Clearing - Open on the 5th July 2024, Clearing is an opportunity for students to find a place on a course that still has available spaces if they didn’t meet their firm or insurance choices, it is also open to students who haven’t applied to university after the 30th June 2024 or if you have offers that you don’t wish to accept, you can find out more here.

Deferral - This is an offer but you wish to carry this over to commence in the following academic year. :flybye:

Open Day - This refers to an event hosted by a university, college or other educational institution where prospective students, their families, and other interested parties have the opportunity to visit the campus, explore the facilities, meet with staff and current students to learn more about the intuition, these are a great way to see if it is the right fit for you, and vice versa.

UCAS - UCAS stands for the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, it is the organisation responsible for managing applications to higher education courses in the UK. :pcguru:

This is just a whistle-stop tour of some of the key terms that you might come across, however, we’d love to hear from you on any phrases that we might have missed that we can help decipher for you into easy-to-understand terms, without the jargon, then we will update the list as we go along! Share your thoughts below…