Glossary of Terms
AACSB
- The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. This is the highest accreditation for business schools.
AAIEP
- American Association of Intensive English Programs.
ABET
- The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. The recognized U.S. accreditation of college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology.
Accreditation
- This ensures the quality of the postsecondary education students receive.
ATM
- Automatic Teller Machine- you can withdrawal money from this machine with your checking card.
Basic Skills
- Upon arrival to SVSU the students that are going into an Undergraduate Program will have to take the basic skills tests. These tests will determine what course levels you will be in for Math, Reading, and Writing.
BICS
- Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills
VSpace
- This is a web-based course management program that lets instructor’s present course materials and interact with their students via the Web.
Cardinal Direct
- Cardinal Direct is SVSU’s web-based access to student and employee academic/financial/employment information and services.
Dependent
- A husband, wife or unmarried child can be a “dependent” of a student on an F-1 visa.
DS-2019
- Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor Status. This document is used to get a J-1 visa.
ELP
- English Language Program
ESL
- English as a Second Language. See www.svsu.edu/esl.
Evidence of Financial Support
- This is an original bank statement that the student has to turn in with the application in order to be admitted.
F-1
- This is the student visa which most students must receive before coming to study in the USA.
General Education
- These are courses in various academic areas that are required for all students before they graduate, regardless of their major area of study.
INS
- Immigration and Naturalization Service
I-20
- Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant (F-1) student status for Academic and Language Students.
I-901
- This is the form necessary to complete when paying your SEVIS fee. Information and the form itself can be found at www.fmjfee.com .
I-94
- The Arrival/Departure Record shows the date you arrived in the United States and the date your authorized stay expires. This form is very important! Do not lose it! http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/i-94_instructions/arrival_departure_record.xml
J-1
- This Exchange Visa is used for students, researchers or faculty coming to the USA as part of an established exchange program.
MBS
- Midland, Bay City, and Saginaw Airport located about 15 minutes from SVSU.
NCA
- North Central Association is the general accrediting body that has accredited all the programs offered at SVSU. Some specific programs have additional specified accreditations.
OIP
- The Office of International Programs is the primary support office for international students.
SEVIS
- Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. This is the computer-based system used to monitor the status of international students in the USA.
Social Security Number (SSN)
- Today, the Social Security Number plays an unmatched role in identification, verification, and tracking of Americans. It is used for the collection of taxes for those that work in the USA. In order for International students to receive an SSN they have to have a job opportunity on campus.
Sponsor
- A sponsor is a person who agrees to pay the necessary expenses for your education, including tuition, fees, housing, meals, insurance, books, and all other expenses.
TOEFL/IELTS
- These are both tests of English as a foreign language. (TOEFL= Test of English as a Foreign Language or IELTS= International English Language Testing System). They are standardized tests available throughout the world to measure English language ability.
Transcript
- These are official “mark sheets” or record from the student’s past schools, colleges and universities that say they have passed their classes that are required for admission to SVSU.
USCIS
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is the government office within the Department of Homeland Security responsible for issues of immigration.
Visa
- If you are a citizen of a foreign country, in most cases you will need a visa to enter the United States. Visas must be obtained and renewed outside of the USA at a US embassy or Consulate. See http://www.unitedstatesvisas.gov/whatis/index.html.
Work Studies
- Students that work on campus, including in the Office of International Programs.