The English tradition of formal and informal instruction of children in the American colonies.

One of the original 11 Dutch West India Company schools in New Amsterdam (now New York City) and, with HARVARD COLLEGE and BOSTON LATIN SCHOOL, one of the three oldest schools still in existence in the United States.

A student who has taken definitive leave of one college institution to pursue the remainder of his or her studies for a degree from a second college.

Usually, the total number of students enrolled part or full time at an institution of higher learning.

A financial vehicle that permits accumulation of tax-deferred savings for eventual payment of college costs.

A peculiarly American group of high schools operated by and within a college or university.

The second oldest institution of higher education in the United States.

The four-year college of liberal arts and sciences at the CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK.

Predecessor institution of BROWN UNIVERSITY.

The successor school to FRANKLIN’S ACADEMY and predecessor institution of the University of Pennsylvania.

Predecessor institution of PRINCETON UNIVERSITY.

A degree-granting institution of higher learning specializing in the training of teachers, school administrators and other professionals in the field of education.

A College Entrance Examination Board program of 90-minute computer-administered tests that allows students to earn college credits and advanced placement in a wide range of subjects at 2,900 colleges.

A standardized test to measure educational outcomes of college students at graduation.

The provision of monies for operating an institution of higher learning.

A nonprofit association of more than 2,400 educational institutions that develops standardized college admissions tests.

Publications and Web sites that list, describe, categorize, evaluate and rank American colleges.

A unit for measuring the amount of successfully completed academic work in higher education.

An annual volume published by the College Entrance Examination Board outlining most major financial aid programs available to students bound for or already in colleges and universities.

A five-volume directory available in print or online giving complete descriptions of about 3,000 U.S. and Canadian colleges.

The printed or electronic forms students must fill out as part of the COLLEGE ADMISSIONS process.

A high school faculty member trained to help prospective college applicants select colleges best suited to their personalities, talents and academic and social skills.

The process by which students apply to and get into college.

Most two-year and almost all four-year colleges require a high school diploma, GED or equivalent for admission, although enrollment in noncredit courses at some schools may be open to all.