A

Academic: Relating to formal education, particularly higher learning.

Accounting: Keeping records of how much money you have and how much you have spent.

Admission: Being accepted (to study at university).

Admission requirement: Qualifications or experience you need to have before you can be accepted as a student.

Advisor: A member of staff from your university faculty who can offer you guidance and advice.

Application fee: Money you pay to a university when you apply for admission

Application form: A document (either on paper or from the internet) where you write your basic information and state what you would like to study.

Arrival area: The area where people exit the airport when they have arrived at their destination.

Attendance: How regularly you attend lectures and seminars, often shown as a percentage. Many universities require a minimum attendance.

B

Bachelor: A degree that usually takes 3-5 years to complete.

Baggage claim: Place where you collect your luggage after your flight.

Biography: A biography is a piece of writing that summarises your life so far.

Boarding: Entering the plane.

Booking: Confirming and buying a seat on a flight.

Budget: Verb; spending your money carefully to make sure you don’t run out. Noun; a report of how much money you will need.

Bureaucracy: Systems of management and administration.

C

CAE: Certificate in Advanced English.

Campus: The area on which the university is located. Some universities may be located on two campuses.

Career: A chosen profession or occupation.

Carry-on bag: A small bag that you can take onto the plane with you.

Check-in: Desk at the departure airport where you show your ticket and are issued with a boarding pass.

Checked-in luggage: Your main luggage, which is put in a separate compartment on the plane.

College: 1. Part of a university separated by subject. 2. Tertiary education. 3. Level of education after high school and before university (UK system)

Consulate: A diplomatic office that represents the embassy in areas outside capital cities.

Course: 1. The complete curriculum for a degree subject. 2. A unit of study that makes up a degree.

Cover letter: A letter of introduction accompanying another document,such as a CV.

Credit: 1. A unit that measures the value of a course / module by level, difficulty, or number of hours you have the class. E.g. a difficult class has more credits. 2. Money that is paid into your bank account.

Critical thinking: The ability to analyse, think freely and create opinions.

Culture shock: Feelings people experience from being in a culture different from their own.

Customs: A place where airport officials make sure you are not carrying anything illegal in your luggage.

CV: Curriculum Vitae – a document that you submit when applying for a job that details your qualifications and work experience.

D

Deadline: The final date for submitting an application.

Dean: Head of a university department or faculty.

Debit: Money that you take out of your bank account.

Degree: An academic qualification reached at the completion of university; usually 3 years (UK system) or 4 years (USA system).

Delay: When something happens later than it is supposed to. For example, a delayed flight takes off later than the stated time.

Departure area: The area where people wait before getting on the plane.

Diploma: A tertiary qualification lower than a degree, often 1-3 years in length.

Distance education: Education without actually attending the education institution.

E

Elective: A course that is not compulsory, but students can choose to study.

Eligible: Qualified or entitled to be chosen for something.

Embassy: A diplomatic mission that acts as a contact point between the visiting country and host nation.

Entrance exam: An exam you have to pass to be allowed to enter a university.

Entry level: The level of study at which you will enter university.

Equivalence exam: Equivalence exams provide a qualification that proves you have reached a certain level of academic ability.

F

Faculty: A body of teachers and administrators at a university. Each area of study has its own faculty.

Facilities: A building or place that provides a particular service.

Fee waiver: A discount on university tuition fees.

Foundation course: Non-degree study completed before starting a bachelor degree, usually for students who do not have the necessary qualifications for university admission. The courses prepare students for undergraduate study.

Freshman/Fresher: A first year student.

G

Gate: Part of an airport where you go to board the plane.

GED: General Educational Diploma – A high school qualification certifying that the taker has attained US or Canadian high school-level academic skills.

Grade Point Average: The average of all your grades combined together; A = 4, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, E/F = 0; highest possible is usually 4.0.

Grade (USA system): Measure of how well you performed in a class or assignments; i.e. A, B, C, D, F.

Graduate: Verb; to finish all the requirements for a degree; to finish your degree. Noun: person who has finished a degree (i.e. university graduate).

H

Health insurance: An agreement with an insurance company to help you pay medical costs if you become sick and require treatment.

I

IELTS: International English Language Testing Service – an English exam required by some universities as proof of your English ability.

IGCSE: International General Certificate of Secondary Education – an international qualification for high school students. Can be taken as an equivalence exam.

Immigration: 1. Department where officials check the documents of people travelling internationally (at airports or border crossings). This is often also called passport control. 2. The government department that deals with foreigners visiting the county. 3. Going to live permanently in another country.

Interview: A formal meeting in person, arranged to assess the qualifications of an applicant.

Itinerary: A travel plan.

J

K

L

Lecture: A talk on a given subject.

M

Major: The main subject you are studying for your degree.

Marks (UK system): Measure how well you performed in a class or assignments; i.e. A, B, C, D, E .

Masters: A degree level that follows on form a Bachelors. It takes approximately 1-2 years to complete.

Matching fund: An amount of money, in addition to a scholarship, to cover the part of the costs of studying, when the scholarship does not cover the full costs.

Module: A unit of study that makes up a degree.

N

O

On-line application: An electronic (internet) form where applicants type their information into a website and submit it to a university to apply for a university place.

Orientation: Process when students start university, where they get introduced to their university, learn where things are and meet other students.

Overstaying: Staying in a country beyond the date permitted by immigration.

P

Passport: A document that identifies the holder as the citizen of their country and Allows them to travel to other countries.

Personality: A person’s behaviours and characteristics.

PhD: Philosophae Doctor or Doctor of Philosophy – A degree level higher than a Masters, which takes 3 or more years to complete and usually includes research.

Placement exam: An exam to decide which level of classes are most appropriate for you to start university.

Postgraduate: 1. Degree education higher than a Bachelor degree; a Master or Doctoral Degree. 2. A person who is studying a Master or Doctoral degree.

Post-graduate diplomas: Qualification above Bachelor level, but below Master level and can lead to a Masters degree.

Professor: A college or university teacher.

Profession: A job or career.

Q

R

Recommendation Letter: A letter written by someone professional who knows you well to recommend you for a university place or job.

Registration: The process before starting university, when students give their personal information, decide which classes to take, and pay money for tuition fees.

Reservation: When the travel agent holds a seat on a flight, but the seat is not paid for or booked.

S

SAT: The Scholastic Aptitude Test – a test required by some universities in the US to prove academic ability.

Schedule: A plan of when things happen. For example, when university lectures will be held.

Scholarship: A fund that provides money to pay for educational expenses such as fees, school travel, living and accommodation while at university.

Secondary education: High school education.

Security screening: Takes place at the departure airport, to make sure people are not carrying anything dangerous.

Semester: A division of the academic year, usually half of an academic year.

Seminar: A small group of students meeting regularly under the guidance of a tutor for study and discussion

Student guide book: A book that gives students the information they will need while at university, and tells the requirements for their degree.

Student union: A student organization present in many colleges and universities.

Subject: A course or area of study.

T

Terminal: The main building of an airport.

Tertiary education: Education following completion of high school – this could be for undergraduate or post graduate degrees, and also vocational qualifications.

Time difference: The difference between the times between countries. For example, Myanmar is half an hour behind Thailand.

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language; An English placement exam which tests students’ ability in English language; this is required by some universities for admission.

Transfer: Changing planes at an airport somewhere between your departure and arriving at your destination.

Transit: Changing planes at an airport somewhere between your departure and arriving at your destination.

Tuition fee: Money paid to a university for classes.

Tutorial: A period of tuition given by a tutor to a small group of students.

U

Undergraduate: 1. Degree education lower than a Master degree, thus a Bachelor degree degree; NOT a diploma. 2. A person who is studying a Bachelor degree.

University: An institute that provides education after high school; it offers Bachelor, Master, and Doctoral degrees;

Unit: A course of study that makes up a degree.

V

Validity: The length of time that you can use a ticket.

Visa: A stamp or piece of paper in your passport that allows you to visit a certain country.

W

Waitlist: Having your name on a waiting list for an available seat on a flight that is fully booked.

Workload: The amount of work you have to do for your university course.

X

Y

Z