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Teaching assistant (TA): A graduate student who assists a professor with teaching an undergraduate course, usually within his or her field, as part of an assistantship.

Tenure: A status offered to high-level faculty members at a college or university that allows them to stay permanently in their positions, after demonstrating a strong record of teaching and published research.

Term: Periods of study, which can include semesters, quarters, trimesters, or summer sessions.

Thesis: A formal piece of writing on a specific subject, which may be required to earn a bachelor's or master's degree.

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): A standardized exam administered by the nonprofit Educational Testing Service (ETS), which measures English-language proficiency in reading, listening, speaking, and writing. Many U.S. colleges and universities require non-native English speakers to take the TOEFL and submit their scores as part of the admissions process.

Transcript: An official record of a student's coursework and grades at a high school, college, or university. A high school transcript is usually one of the required components of the college application process.

Transfer credit: Credit granted toward a degree on the basis of studies completed at another college or university. For instance, students who transfer from a community college to a four-year college may earn some transfer credit.

Trimesters: Periods of study that divide the academic year into three equal segments of approximately 10 to 12 weeks each.

Tuition: An amount of money charged by a school per term, per course, or per credit, in exchange for instruction and training. Tuition generally does not include the cost of textbooks, room and board, and other fees.

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