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UW in the High School

Definitions

Here are some definitions of terms you may need to understand as you explore how to enroll in a college course through UW in the High School.

Accredited

A program is considered to be accredited when it has met all the program quality standards of its related national organization.

Class/Course

The terms "class" or "course" can be used in the same way to describe the unit of learning for a student, whether it is a semester or year-long.

Concurrent Enrollment

A program in which high school teachers teach college-level courses at the high school; students earn both college credit and high school credit. UW in the High School is a concurrent enrollment program, known in Washington state as “College in the High School."

Credit

A credit is a way of measuring the amount of time a student spends learning in a certain course. Students need to earn a certain number of credits to graduate from high school and then, if they choose, to earn a degree and graduate from college.

For example:

  • In college, a math class might be worth five college credits.
  • In high school, that same class is usually one high school credit. 

Drop

When a student chooses to stop taking a course by officially requesting to be removed from a UW course. This means they do not receive a grade nor earn UW credit.

Dual Credit

These are opportunities for high school students to earn college credit, while also earning high school credit. In Washington state, these include exam-based options such as Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB), CTE Dual Credit (for career and technical education courses), College in the High School, and Running Start.

Enroll/Register

Two terms that both mean to officially sign up for a class or course.

Matriculated Student

A student who has enrolled in a college or university as a degree-seeking student.

Prerequisite

A class that you must take and pass before you can enroll for the next one, usually because it has important introductory information. For example, in order to sign up for Algebra II, you need to have previously passed Algebra I.

Syllabus

A document that serves as an outline of the course, including information such as the grading policy and assignments.

Transcript

An official document from a high school or college that shows the courses a student has completed and the grades and credits they have earned. Students taking a college course while in high school have both a high school transcript and a college transcript.