PNC Words to Know for
Beginning Students
Academic Drop - After approximately two semesters of poor academic performance (GPA), a student shall be academically dropped from the university for a minimum of one semester. For additional information, contact the Registrar's Office.
Academic Probation - After approximately one semester of poor academic performance (GPA), a student will be placed on academic probation. For additional information, contact the Registrar's Office.
Advisor - A staff member who advises on academic and career objectives; this person could discuss plan of study and career exploration. Advisors are differentiated into three divisions: freshman, college and faculty. For additional information, contact the Director of Advising.
Attendance - Is being present in a class session. For additional information, contact the Registrar's Office.
Change Check - After tuition and fees are paid, the remainder of student aid (grants and loans) is disbursed to the student in the form of a paper check which is available in the Bursar's office at the start of the semester . Note: first time borrowers must wait until mid-semester for check. For additional information, contact the Bursar's Office.
CODO - CODO is an acronym for Change of Degree Objective. Students seeking to declare a change of major should complete a CODO form. For additional information, contact an academic advisor.
Co-requisite - A course that is required to be taken at the same time as another course.
Counselor - A person who provides guidance by helping students with academic advising, career information, and life-planning. For additional information, contact the Dean of Student's Office.
Dead Week and testing - Dead Week is the week before final exams. No course exams or tests should be given during Dead Week (with exception of lab exams) in order to allow students time to prepare for finals.
Dean of Students - This is the principal resource for the interpretation and regulation of policies and procedures as they apply to student life. This office provides services in academic advising, career counseling, disability accommodations, educational and personal counseling. For additional information, contact the Dean of Student's Office.
Division - Courses may be divided into divisions or sections, which may be offered at different times of day or different days of the week.
Drop/Add - This is a 'time window' during which a student may change her/his semester schedule. For additional information, contact the Registrar's Office.
Elective - An elective is a course students choose to take to fulfill their degree requirement, but the course does not need to fall into the major field of study. For additional information, contact the Registrar's Office.
Encumbrance Fee - An additional fee charged to students who have not yet paid for the previous semester's bill or miscellaneous item (i.e. printer units). For additional information, contact the Bursar's Office.
FACTS - A payment plan you can sign up for online. This plan breaks remainder of tuition into manageable payments throughout the semester. For additional information, contact the Bursar's Office.
FERPA - This is an acronym for the Federal Education Rights and Privacy Act. It specifies to whom and under what circumstances the University may release and share information about any student such as grades, class schedules and private issues. For additional information, contact the Registrar's Office.
Financial Aid Probation - When a student is at risk of losing financial aid, and different than academic probation, it is determined by a formula. If the number of classes completed with a passing grade divided by the number of classes attempted (including all withdrawals and F's) is less than 67%, then you are on financial aid probation. You have one semester to improve that percentage above 67% before not being able to use financial aid to pay tuition. For additional information, contact the Financial Aid Office.
Full-time Student - A student enrolled for 12 or more credit hours per semester.
GPA - This stands for Grade Point Average. It is calculated by dividing the sum of all index points by the sum of all corresponding semester hours. It is calculated either for a semester or for a student's entire period of matriculation. Index points are calculated from courses in which a student had earned grades of A, B, C, D, F and WF. For additional information, contact the Registrar's Office.
My PNC Portal - This is a website allowing PNC personnel and students to gain access to SOLAR and WEBCT, check email and view the latest calendar updates with one log-in. For additional information, contact the Information Services Help Desk.
Plan of Study (POS) - This is a four or five year plan of courses that will meet the requirements of the student's chosen degree. This plan can be created by the student and or with the assistance of an academic advisor.
Pre-requisite - A course that students must successfully pass or demonstrate knowledge in before enrolling or taking a course.
SOCAT - A test out exam for C&IT 107 (Computer Literacy). The current cost is $50 and is offered throughout the year. For additional information, contact Continuing Education.
SOLAR - An acronym for Student Online Academic Resources. Each student has access to her/his account. He/she may review any personal information, register for courses, conduct business with the Bursar's Office, and review financial aid information etc. For additional information, contact Information Services Help Desk.
SOLAR Registration - The ability to register online with an advisor's clearance. For additional information, contact an academic advisor.
Student Government - Elected by the student body, SG has 10 members, which includes a president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary who represents the student body on the PNC campus. For additional information, contact the Student Government.
Student Organizations (Clubs) - Over thirty clubs are currently active at PNC. Clubs are sanctioned by the Student Government and must have a constitution, by-laws, club advisor, etc. Anyone interested in forming a group or participating should contact the Office of Student Activities.
Student Photo ID - A card that serves as proof of an individual's status with Purdue North Central. For additional information or to have a photo taken, contact the Media Services Department.
Student Success Center - A location where students are able to access a variety of supplemental assistance and instruction; formerly known as the Learning Center .
Student Support Services (sSs) - A federally funded program which assists students in meeting the challenges of academic life, making personal and career decisions, and participating in extracurricular activities. For additional information, contact Student Support Services.
Syllabus - A course document provided by the instructor that describes the overall course content and expectations including, but not limited to, information such as instructor name, office hours, contact number, grading and course policies, etc. For additional information, contact course instructor.
The Voice - The student newspaper written and organized by students. Editor and co-editors are paid positions. For additional information, contact the Office of Student Activities.
Transcripts - A copy of a student's academic record including courses taken and grades received. For additional information, contact the Registrar's Office.
Tutors - PNC students or faculty members who provide FREE assistance to other students in specific subjects. For additional information and tutor schedules, contact the Student Success Center .
WebCT - The software that some instructors use for course information. Included could be quizzes, tests, grade book, chat lines and any homework or notes. For additional information, contact Information Services Help Desk.
Withdrawal - To complete paperwork to withdraw from a class. For additional information, contact an academic advisor or the Registrar's Office. Do I get a refund?—Refunds are time sensitive and students must submit completed paperwork to the Registrar's Office within the first few weeks of the semester. For additional information, contact the Registrar's Office, Bursar's Office, and Financial Aid Office.
Work Study - A federally funded student aid program in which eligible students may earn up to $1000 per semester (for 2007-2008) working on or off campus. Monies are earned in the form of an actual paycheck, not applied toward tuition. For additional information, contact Financial Aid or Career Services.
