FERPA: Family Education Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA) gives students the right to access their academic records. FERPA requires that the college or university protects the confidentiality of student records. This includes being unable to disclose permission to parents of college students. Learn more about FERPA

Unofficial transcript vs. Official transcript: Unofficial transcripts are usually used for things like student academic advising. An official transcript is issued from the registrar’s office of your school and has the official school seal on it. Official transcripts are used to send information about your academic history to other schools that you are applying to.

Prerequisite: A prerequisite is a course that must be completed before taking another class. For example, Calculus I is a prerequisite for Calculus II.

Registrar: This a college official who is responsible for registering students as well as maintaining student records.

Course Catalog: A detailed list of all courses available at a particular college or university. A course catalog also contains school policies and other important information.

Credit hours: One credit hour is equal to one hour of class per week. For example, a class which meets for 3 hours per week is worth 3 credit hours, and students will be granted 3 credits for completing the course.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is especially serious at a college level. Plagiarism may occur when you reference text or ideas from a different source without acknowledging the original source. Each school has a formal policy regarding plagiarism and students who are found plagiarizing will suffer consequences that may range from a 0 on the assignment or test, to academic probation or suspension, or in severe cases, expulsion from the college or university. Read more about plagiarism here.

UW Oshkosh policies of academic integrity and academic misconduct