34 CFR 675.2 – Definitions
(a) The definitions of the following terms used in this part are set forth in subpart A of the Student Assistance General Provisions, 34 CFR 668:
(b) The Secretary defines other terms used in this part as follows:
Community services: Services which are identified by an institution of higher education, through formal or informal consultation with local nonprofit, governmental, and community-based organizations, as designed to improve the quality of life for community residents, particularly low-income individuals, or to solve particular problems related to their needs. These services include—
(1) Such fields as health care, child care (including child care services provided on campus that are open and accessible to the community), literacy training, education (including tutorial services), welfare, social services, transportation, housing and neighborhood improvement, public safety, emergency preparedness and response, crime prevention and control, recreation, rural development, and community improvement;
(2) Work in service opportunities or youth corps as defined in section 101 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990, and service in the agencies, institutions and activities designated in section 124(a) of that Act;
(3) Support services to students with disabilities, including students with disabilities who are enrolled at the institution; and
(4) Activities in which a student serves as a mentor for such purposes as—
(i) Tutoring;
(ii) Supporting educational and recreational activities; and
(iii) Counseling, including career counseling.
*Financial need: The difference between a student’s cost of attendance and his or her EFC.
Graduate or professional student: A student who—
(1) Is enrolled in a program or course above the baccalaureate level at an institution of higher education or is enrolled in a program leading to a first professional degree;
(2) Has completed the equivalent of at least three years of full-time study at an institution of higher education, either prior to entrance into the program or as part of the program itself; and
(3) Is not receiving title IV aid as an undergraduate student for the same period of enrollment.
*Institution of higher education (institution). A public or private nonprofit institution of higher education, a proprietary institution of higher education, or a postsecondary vocational institution.
* Need-based employment: Employment provided by an institution itself or by another entity to a student who has demonstrated to the institution or the entity (through standards or methods it establishes) a financial need for the earnings from that employment for the purpose of defraying educational costs of attendance for the award year for which the employment is provided.
Nonprofit organization: An organization owned and operated by one or more nonprofit corporations or associations where no part of the organization’s net earnings benefits, or may lawfully benefit, any private shareholder or entity. An organization may show that it is nonprofit by meeting the provisions of § 75.51 of the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), 34 CFR 75.51.
Student services: Services that are offered to students that may include, but are not limited to, financial aid, library, peer guidance counseling, job placement, assisting an instructor with curriculum-related activities, security, and social, health, and tutorial services. Student services do not have to be direct or involve personal interaction with students. For purposes of this definition, facility maintenance, cleaning, purchasing, and public relations are never considered student services.
Undergraduate student: A student enrolled at an institution of higher education who is in an undergraduate course of study which usually does not exceed four academic years, or is enrolled in a four to five academic year program designed to lead to a first degree. A student enrolled in a program of any other length is considered an undergraduate student for only the first four academic years of that program.