Hey y'all, I've been seeing the term 'prospective student' a lot in my college research. Can someone give me a solid definition of what a 'productive student' is in the context of college admissions?
A "prospective student," in the context of college admissions, generally refers to an individual who is considering attending a particular college or university but hasn't officially applied or been accepted yet.
It's like you've scoped out a college as one of your potential choices, you're doing your due diligence by researching about it, attending their open houses or virtual webinars, reaching out to current students or alumni to get a sense of the school's culture, exploring academic programs they offer, etc. But, you've not reached the application stage or received an acceptance letter from their admissions office.
So, this term broadly covers high school students or other individuals who are in the early stages of the college search process and are formulating their list of potential college choices. It can also be used by the universities themselves to describe individuals who have shown an interest in their institution, but who haven't yet committed to attending.
Once you officially apply to a university and/or accept an offer from them, you'd transition from being a 'prospective student' to being an 'applicant' or an 'admitted student', respectively.
CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.