Data Dictionary
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This data dictionary provides the latest definitions/explanations of the key terms used in the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness (OIRE) and beyond at LaGuardia Community College. The purpose of this dictionary is to have a common understanding and shared usage of terminology used in reports, dashboards, or presentations that reference institutional data.
Some terms may evolve over time as the needs and/or operations of the college or CUNY change. It is important to note that the terms in the glossary represent the current definitions and may be different than prior versions. Where feasible, notes will be made if a term is substantively different than in prior iterations of the data dictionary.
While the development of this data dictionary was intended to be comprehensive, it may not include every possible term. Therefore, if you are looking for a term that is not included in the dictionary and/or have questions/concerns about a term, please reach out to our office at OIRA@lagcc.cuny.edu.
The dictionary was last updated on 11/04/2025.
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| Term | Definition | Related Terms |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Advisor | Academic Advisors assist students with common logistical needs including knowing what courses to take in future semesters, information on college policies, graduation requirements, and academic progress. Students engage with their Academic Advisor before their first semester and then throughout their time at the college. | |
| Academic Year/AY | Comprises two semesters - Fall and the following Spring. For example, Academic Year 2023-2024 means Fall 2023 and Spring 2024. Semester includes both Session I and Session II. Summer is counted as part of Spring semester Session II. | Enhanced Semester |
| ACE | [Division of] Adult and Continuing Education. | Continuing Education |
| Admission Type/Admit Type | Admission status of a student at the beginning of a semester at LaGuardia. All LaGuardia student have one of the following 5 admission types - Freshman (First-Time), Transfer-in, Continuing, Re-Admit, Non-degree. | Re-Admit, Transfer-in Students, Continuing Student, Non-degree Student |
| Adult Learners | Students age 25 and over | Age Groups |
| Age Groups | Age groups are used to categorize individuals by age bands, including the following:
For many internal and external reporting requirements, the above are used. Occasionally, more fine-grained age groups might be required for reporting purposes. If this is the case, the report or dashboard will provide a breakdown based on whatever the reporting agency requires. |
|
| ASAP program | ASAP at LaGuardia (Accelerated Study in Associate Programs) is a support program that helps students finish an associate degree on time by providing extra academic, financial, and personal supports. | ASAP students |
| ASAP students | LaGuardia students who participate in the ASAP program at LaGuardia. | ASAP program |
| Associate Degree | Associate degree includes Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Science (AS), and Associate of Applied Science (AAS). Usually requires 60 credits with a few majors requires up to 68 credits. | Certificate (credit) |
| Attempted Credits | The total number of credits a student is registered for in a given semester after the add/drop period ends, regardless of whether the courses are completed or passed. | Credits, Equated Credits |
| Cap & Gown Graduation Survey | The Cap and Gown Graduation Survey is administered centrally by CUNY and appears on the To Do list for graduates and pending graduates in CUNYfirst. The survey includes questions about graduates’ college experience, post-degree employment, and future educational pursuits. Responses are voluntary. | |
| Census Date, Census | Specific day of the session used to determine offical enrollment. | |
| Certificate (credit) | Award granted by the college in recognition of completion of a prescribed course of study containing fewer than 60 credits. | Associate Degree |
| CLIP (CUNY English Language Immersion Program) | The CUNY Language Immersion Program (CLIP) is for students who have been admitted to the City University of New York (CUNY) and whose first language is not English. CLIP provides intensive classes that will help you develop your academic English language skills and prepare you for college study. | |
| Cohort | A defined group of students who start their college experience together at a specific point in time and are tracked from their first semester. Many reports utilize a Fall Cohort of students. For example, LaGuardia "Fall 2023 cohort" refers to students who started at the college in the Fall 2023 semester (either in Session I or Session II). | Cohort Graduation Rate, Cohort Retention Rate |
| College Discover (CD) students | LaGuardia students who participate in the College Discovery program at LaGuardia. | College Discovery program |
| College Discovery (CD) program | College Discovery program is a comprehensive program of basic skills courses, counseling, tutoring, and financial aid for students who meet the eligibility requirements. | College Discover/CD student |
| College Now | High school students who are taking classes run by LaGuardia’s College Now program usually taught in their respective High Schools. | Headcount, FTE, Dual Enrollment |
| Continuing Education | Non-credit programs for adult students, offered at LaGuardia by the Division of Adult and Continuing Education (ACE). | ACE |
| Continuing Student (Admit Type) | A degree seeking students' term admission status if they are enrolled, and were enrolled in the previous term. | Admission Type |
| Corequisite | Course which must be taken during the same session as another course. | |
| Co-Requisite Gateway Course | A 3 credit, 7 contact hour course that combines both a Gateway course (Math or English) and a supportive, developmental course for students who are required to take it. | |
| Course Code | Each code identifies the subject area and the catalog number (e.g., ENG 101 comprises the subject area ENG and catalog number 101 ). | |
| Credit Attainment, Credits Earned | Credit attainment refers to the number of credits a student has successfully earned toward their degree. It measures progress in completing required coursework. | |
| Credit Enrollment (Number) | A headcount of the total of all degree-seeking students, non-degree–seeking students, and College Now students actively enrolled in one or more courses as of the time of the semester census. | College Now |
| Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) | Credit for Prior Learning allows students to earn credit for college level learning they have gained outside the traditional college classroom. CPL is not awarded for experience; it is awarded for college level learning gained from experience. | Credit |
| CUNY Reconnect | CUNY Reconnect is a program designed to help adults return to education—especially those who started college, earned some credits, but didn’t finish their degree. | |
| CUNY Start | A pre-college program administered by ACE to serve students accepted to LaGuardia but in need of English developmental or math developmental courses. | Math Start |
| CUNY/ACT | A three-part test for new students that determines whether they will be placed in ESL or basic reading, writing, and mathematics classes or college level classes. | |
| Degree Enrollment, Degree-Seeking Enrollment (Number) | A headcount of the total of students enrolled in degree programs at LaGuardia, including all associate degree and certificate-seeking students actively enrolled in one or more courses as of the time of the semester census. | |
| Degree Map | A semester-by-semester guide showing students suggested course sequencing. (See: https://www.laguardia.edu/academics/advising/degreemaps/) | |
| Degree Student, Degree-Seeking Student | Students enrolled at LaGuardia for a degree program. Degree includes both associate and certificate. | Degree Type, Associate Degree |
| Degree Type | Degree type includes Associates and Certificates offered at LaGuardia. Our Associate degree includes Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Science (AS), and Associate of Applied Science (AAS) | Associate Degree |
| Detailed Grade | Each individual grade including A, A-, B+, B, B-, etc. | Grouped Grade |
| Early Transfer Students | Degree-seeking students who transferred to other institutions before graduating from Laguardia. These are students who transferred-out of the college. | |
| ECLC (Early Childhood Learning Center Programs) | The ECLC is an on-campus childcare facility at LaGuardia that provides affordable, high-quality care for children aged 6 months through 12 years. | |
| Energy Tech High School | A NYC Department of Education high school. | |
| Enhanced Semester | A two-part semester divided into a 12-week session I and a 6-week session II. | Academic Year/AY |
| Entering Major | The student’s declared major at LaGuardia at the beginning of their degree program. | |
| ePortfolio | Personal Web space in which students create their own websites where they can archive and showcase their work and create an online resume, post their artwork or other similar materials, or share their professional accomplishments. | |
| Field of Interest | A Field of Interest is a broad career-related category that groups together similar majors and programs, helping students explore study options, career paths, and transfer opportunities. See the full list here - https://www.laguardia.edu/academics/ | |
| First Generation Student | An undergraduate student who self-reports that neither parent/caregiver graduated from college with a baccalaureate degree. | |
| First Year Seminar (FYS) | First Year Seminar (FYS) is a discipline-specific course designed to support freshmen and transfer-in students in their transition to LaGuardia. FYS students are introduced to key concepts in their major, learn skills essential to academic success, receive advising support, and are introduced to the College’s many resources and co-curricular opportunities. In addition, FYS students receive additional support in an attached studio hour, where they learn about the digital tools that LaGuardia offers to facilitate educational and career planning. Students at LaGuardia must take the First Year Seminar in their first semester. FYS is also a requirement to graduate. Transfer credit will not be awarded for another school’s first-year seminar course. | Freshman |
| Freshman, First-Time (Admit Type) | A student who has no prior postsecondary experience attending LaGuardia or any other higher education institution at the undergraduate level. This status applies to the first semester; they would be labeld as 'Continuing' students in the subsequent semesters. | |
| FTFT (First-Time, Full-Time) | First-Time Freshman students registered for at least 12 credits or equated credits in their very first semester at LaGuardia as of the time of Census. For tracking purposes, even if a student later changes their semesterly credit load to less than 12 credits, they are still tracked for cohort tracking as FTFT. | Freshman, Full-Time Students |
| Full-Time Student | A student registered for at least 12 credits or equated credits per semester (semester includes both Session I & Session II) as of the Census date. This is used to determine financial aid benefits. Distinct from FTE (Full Time Equivalent). | Part-Time Student |
| Gateway Courses | Gateway courses are foundational courses that serve as the entry point into a student's chosen major at CUNY colleges. These courses are part of the Pathways initiative, which standardizes general education across CUNY colleges. By completing these gateway courses, students can seamlessly transfer credits between CUNY colleges, ensuring consistent academic progression. These courses include both College level and co-requisite courses. English and Math courses. | Co-Requisite Gateway Course |
| GED | General Equivalency Diploma (equivalent to High School diploma) | |
| Grades Counted for Enrollment | All grades are included in the course/section headcount except the following: WA, WD, WN, AUD, and no grade.
Note: Withdrawal grades WA, WD, and WN indicate withdrawal before the add/drop deadline. |
W Grades, DFW Rates, Attempted Credits |
| Graduating Major | The major that a student has at the time of the awarding of their credential, which may or may not be different than their initial major. | Initial Major/Entering Major |
| Graduation Rate (Cohort) | "The percentage of students from a defined starting cohort who complete their degree within a specified period. For example, if 100 students started in Fall X (also called Cohort X) and 60 of them graduated within 5 year, the cohort graduation rate would be: Cohort Graduation Rate = (60 ÷ 100) × 100 = 60% | Cohort, Cohort Retention Rate |
| Grouped Grade | A consolidated grade category where letter grades with minor variations (e.g., A and A–) are merged into one group (A). | Detailed Grade |
| Headcount | Unduplicated count of students. | Session I & II Headcount Enrollment |
| High School Grade Level | Dual enrolled students are classified based upon their year in high school, using their expected (self-reported) high school graduation date, as one of the following:
|
Dual Enrollment |
| Honors Courses | The Honors Option is a program that permits qualifying LaGuardia students to enroll in a regular section of a course, while receiving the Honors distinction on their transcripts for this course. In order to receive the Honors distinction, students will engage in additional research, similar to the kind of work that students in Honors sections engage in. | |
| Incomplete grade | The incomplete grade (INC) may be awarded to students who have not completed all of the required course work but for whom there is a reasonable expectation of satisfactory completion. The incomplete grade will automatically convert to a FIN (F Incomplete) at the end of the following semester in which the Incomplete Grade is being requested. | |
| Independent Study | A course of study designed by a faculty member and a student tailored to a student’s academic interests. | |
| International High School | A NYC Department of Education high school. | |
| International Students | Students enrolled at LaGuardia who are neither U.S. citizens nor permanent residents (i.e., non-resident alien status) studying at the college on a visa specifically to study at the College (could include F-1, M-1, or J-1) to study in the United States. These students are tracked by the International Student Services office. | |
| Internship | Credit-bearing experiential learning opportunities in which a student gains work experience related to their program. | |
| Internship Seminar | Class taken while a student is enrolled in an internship; in the seminar, students examine their work experiences in relation to educational and career objectives, academic concepts, and experiential education learning theories. | |
| Major Names (Most Recent) | The college will occasionally modify the name of a major. The most recent major name is the updated, current version of the major. While the name may have been modified, the underlying Plan and/or Subplan remains the same. | Plan, Subplan |
| Math Start | A pre-college program administered by ACE to serve students accepted to LaGuardia but in need of Math remediation. | CUNY Start |
| Matriculation | Matriculation means officially enrolling or being admitted as a degree-seeking student at LaGuardia for an Associate or certificate degree. | |
| Middle College | A NYC Department of Education high school. | |
| New Students | An aggregated total including Freshmen and Transfer-In students. | Admission Types/Admit Type, Freshman, Transfer-in Students |
| Non-Credit Programs | Non-Credit courses offered through the Division of Adult and Continuing Education (ACE) designed to meet the interest and needs of a variety of individuals and groups. | ACE |
| Non-Degree Enrollment (Number) | The total count of registered students enrolled in one or more credit course/s at LaGuardia who are not pursuing an associate degree or certificate, including Early College students and other students taking courses without applying them toward a degree program. College Now students are not included in this number. | Middle College High School, Energy Tech High School, The International High School, College Now |
| Non-Degree Students (Admit Type) | Students enrolled in individual courses but not working toward a degree (such as associate or certificate). | Admission Type |
| Non-STEM Majors | All other LaGuardia Associates degree majors other than STEM-majors are Non-STEM majors. | STEM Majors |
| Part-Time Student | A student registered for less than 12 equated credits. | Full-Time Student |
| Peer Advisor (Student) | A student peer advisor is a support service offered to students to help them to identify a person/office who might be able to assist them, seeking advice on talking to a professor, accessing technology services, and other aspects of being a successful student including advice on time management, co- or extra-curricular activities, and study skills. | |
| Pell Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient | LaGuardia students who receive federal Pell Grant. Federal Pell Grants are awarded only to undergraduate students who display exceptional financial need and have not earned a bachelor's, graduate, or professional degree with some exceptions. | |
| Pipeline to Degree | LaGuardia's initiative that aims to increase the number of students who complete workforce training and pre-college programs and then transition into the college to pursue associate degrees. Pipeline to Degree will have an emphasis on younger adults (ages 18 to 24). | |
| Placement Tests | Tests required upon admission to determine assignment of students to appropriate classes. | |
| Probation | A period of one semester which permits students to improve a low grade point average. | Suspension |
| Race/Ethnicity | The following categories are used: Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, Hispanic, Native American, and White. If race/ethnicity data is not available, it is shown as Missing. This categorization is done at LaGuardia IR and may differ with others. | Underrepresented Minority (URM), Gender |
| Re-Admission | Process through which a student who stopped attending the College for one or more semesters while in good academic standing may be allowed to re-enroll in the College and register for classes. | Admission Type |
| Re-admit (Admit Type) | A student's term admission status when a student return to college after one or more semester break. Student needs to apply for re-admission. | Admission Type |
| Reinstatement | Process through which a student who has been suspended by the College may be allowed to re-enroll in the College and register for classes. | |
| Required Core | Part of the CUNY Common Core, the Required Core is a 4-course, 12-credit requirement for all CUNY students. | Common Core, Flexible Common Core |
| Retained | A student who was actively enrolled (in at least one course as of census) in a given semester and who returns in a subsequent semester (in at least one course as of census). Because retention can be viewed at different points in a student's time at the college, this will be noted as being "retained from X-term to Y-term." For example, a student who was actively enrolled in Fall 2024 and then returns in Spring 2025 was "retained from Fall 2024 to Spring 2025."
This is distinct from Retention Rate. |
Cohort Retention Rate, Cohort |
| Retention (1-Semester) | Retention rate tracks a cohort of students’ continued enrollment from one specified time point to the next. And 1-Semester retention tracks who were enrolled in minimum one course as of the census in a specific semester and whether they were enrolled in minimum of one course at the time of census in the immediate following semesters (one semester after starting). This metric is often used to track a cohort of students who started in a Fall semester and whether they returned in the immediate following Spring semester. For example, a cohort of students who started in Fall 2025 and then returned in Spring 2026. This provides the percentage of students who returned (or did not return). | |
| Retention (1-Year) | Retention rate tracks a cohort of students’ continued enrollment from one specified time point to the next. And 1-Year retention tracks a cohort of students who were enrolled in minimum one course as of the census in a specific semester and whether they were enrolled in minimum of one course at the time of census two semesters later. This metric is often used to track a cohort of students who started in a Fall semester and whether they returned in the subsequent Fall semester. For example, a cohort of students who started in Fall 2025 and then returned in Fall 2026. This provides the percentage of students who returned (or did not return). | |
| Retention Rate (Cohort) | "The percentage of students from a defined starting cohort who continue enrollment in a subsequent semester/year. For example, if 2000 students started in Cohort X and 1600 returned in their second semester, the 1-Semester retention rate is calculated as: Retention Rate = (1600 ÷ 2000) x 100 = 80%" | Cohort, Cohort Graduation Rate |
| Reverse Graduates | Early Transfer students that earn the number of additional credits needed for LaGuardia graduation at their transfer school and request to apply those credits toward their (original) LaGuardia degree. This is also referred as Reverse Transfers. | |
| STEM Majors | STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics. The following LaGuardia Majors are STEM majors: Biology; Computer Science; Computer Technology; Cybersecurity; Energy Technician; Engineering Science: Civil Engineering; Engineering Science: Electrical Engineering; Engineering Science: Mechanical Engineering; Environmental Science; Industrial Design; Liberal Arts: Mathematics and Science; Physical Science. | Non-STEM Majors |
| Student Group | Student groups are used to classify/group students based on a formal definition in the student information system. These student groups are designations attributed to students usually based upon a student’s participation in a specific institutional organization/club, scholarship awarded, demographic group (for tracking), athletic status, academic status (for example, honors students), or other indicator for tracking purposes. These student groups are assigned and maintained by a staff member in the student information system. | |
| Suspension | After a period of probation, a student who is not able to raise a low grade point is suspended. Students on suspension cannot register for classes in the College for one semester. | Probation |
| Transfer Rate | The percentage of graduates in a given academic year who transferred to a 4-year institution, calculated as: (Total number of students who transferred to 4-year institutions) ÷ (Total number of graduates in that academic year). | |
| Transfer-in Students (Admit Type) | A degree seeking student's term admission status in their first term after transferring in from another college, or a student seeking additional degrees. This status applies to the first semester; they would be labeled as 'Continuing' students in the subsequent semesters. | Admission Type |
| Transfer-out Students | LaGuardia graduates who transferred to another higher education institution. | |
| Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) | TAP (Tuition Assistance Program) is New York State’s financial aid grant that helps eligible residents pay tuition at approved colleges. It does not need to be repaid. | |
| Underrepresented Minority (URM) | Includes students who self-identify as Black, Hispanic, and Native American. Excludes Asian/Pacific Islander and White. | Race/Ethnicity |
| W Grades | A "W" grade is used to denote if a student was registered in a course after the time of add/drop and subsequently withdrew or was administratively withdrawn from the course. The following are symbols that can appear on a student's transcript, denoting a type of withdrawal.
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| Weekend Classes (Class Schedule) | Classes that meet Saturday and Sunday. |