# 34 C.F.R. § 648.9 (2026): What definitions apply? > Federal · Regulations · In force URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFR_T34_P648_S648_9 ## Section - **Citation:** 34 C.F.R. § 648.9 (2026) - **Heading:** What definitions apply? - **Jurisdiction:** Federal - **Kind:** Regulations - **Status:** In force - **Text as of:** August 14, 2026 - **Source:** Compiled text - **Location:** Title 34 CFR: Education / Chapter VI: OFFICE OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION / Part 648: GRADUATE ASSISTANCE IN AREAS OF NATIONAL NEED / Subpart A: General / § 648.9: § 648.9 What definitions apply? ## Text (a) General definitions. The following terms used in this part are defined in 2 CFR part 200, subpart A, or 34 CFR 77.1: Applicant Application Award Budget Budget period Department EDGAR Equipment Grant Nonprofit Project period Secretary Supplies (b) Other definitions. The following definitions also apply to this part: Academic department means any department, program, unit, orany other administrative subdivision of an institution of higher education that— (i) Directly administers or supervises post-baccalaureate instruction in a specific discipline; and (ii) Has the authority to award academic course credit acceptable to meet degree requirements at an institution of higher education. Academic field means an area of study in an academic department within an institution of higher education other than a school or department of divinity. Academic year means the 12-month period commencing with the fall instructional term of the institution. Application period means the period in which the Secretary solicits applications for this program. Discipline means a branch of instruction or learning. Eligible non-degree granting institution means any institution that— (i) Conducts post-baccalaureate academic programs of study but does not award doctoral degrees in an area of national need; (ii) Is described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and is exempt from tax under section 501(a) of the Code; (iii) Is organized and operated substantially to conduct scientific and cultural research and graduate training programs; (iv) Is not a private foundation; post-baccalaureate academic programs of study but does not award doctoral degrees in an area of national need; (ii) Is described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and is exempt from tax under section 501(a) of the Code; (iii) Is organized and operated substantially to conduct scientific and cultural research and graduate training programs; (iv) Is not a private foundation; (v) Has academic personnel for instruction and counseling who meet the standards of the institution of higher education in which the students are enrolled; and (vi) Has necessary research resources not otherwise readily available in the institutions in which students are enrolled. Fees mean non-refundable charges paid by a graduate student for services, materials, and supplies that are not included within the tuition charged by the institution in which the student is enrolled. Fellow means a recipient of a fellowship under this part. Fellowship means an award made by an institution of higher education to an individual for graduate study under this part at the institution of higher education. Financial need means the fellow's financial need as determined under title IV, part F, of the HEA for the period of the fellow's enrollment in the approved academic field of study for which the fellowship was awarded. General operational overhead means non-instructional expenses incurred by an academic department in the normal administration and conduct of its academic program, including the costs of supervision, recruitment, capital outlay, debt service, indirect costs, or any other costs not included in the determination of tuition and non-refundable fee charges. Graduate student means an individual enrolled in a program of post-baccalaureate study at an institution of higher education. Graduate study means any program of postbaccalaureate study at an institution of higher education. HEA means the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended service, indirect costs, or any other costs not included in the determination of tuition and non-refundable fee charges. Graduate student means an individual enrolled in a program of post-baccalaureate study at an institution of higher education. Graduate study means any program of postbaccalaureate study at an institution of higher education. HEA means the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. Highest possible degree available means a doctorate in an academic field or a master's degree, professional degree, or other post-baccalaureate degree if a doctorate is not available in that academic field. Institution of higher education (Institution) means an institution of higher education, other than a school or department of divinity, as defined in section 1201(a) of the HEA. Inter-discipline means a course of study that involves academic fields in two or more disciplines. Minority means Alaskan Native, American Indian, Asian-American, Black (African-American), Hispanic American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander. Multi-disciplinary application means an application that requests fellowships for more than a single academic department in areas of national need designated as priorities by the Secretary under this part. Project means the activities necessary to assist, whether from grant funds or institutional resources, fellows in the successful completion of their designated educational programs. Satisfactory progress means that a fellow meets or exceeds the institution's criteria and standards established for a graduate student's continued status as an applicant for the graduate degree in the academic field for which the fellowship was awarded. School or department of divinity means an institution, or an academic department of an institution, whose program is specifically for the education of students to prepare them to become ministers of religion or to enter into some other religious vocation or to prepare them to teach theological subjects an applicant for the graduate degree in the academic field for which the fellowship was awarded. School or department of divinity means an institution, or an academic department of an institution, whose program is specifically for the education of students to prepare them to become ministers of religion or to enter into some other religious vocation or to prepare them to teach theological subjects. Students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds mean women and minorities who traditionally are underrepresented in areas of national need as designated by the Secretary. Supervised training means training provided to fellows under the guidance and direction of faculty in the academic department. Tuition means the charge for instruction by the institution of higher education in which the fellow is enrolled. Underrepresented in areas of national need means proportionate representation as measured by degree recipients, that is less than the proportionate representation in the general population, as indicated by— (i) The most current edition of the Department's Digest of Educational Statistics; (ii) The National Research Council's Doctorate Recipients from United States Universities; (iii) Other standard statistical references, as announced annually in the Federal Register notice inviting applications for new awards under this program; or (iv) As documented by national survey data submitted to and accepted by the Secretary on a case-by-case basis. (Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1135-1135d) [58 FR 65842, Dec. 16, 1993, as amended at 79 FR 76103, Dec. 19, 2014] ## Nearby sections - [34 C.F.R. § 648.1 (2026) § 648.1 What is the Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need program?](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFR_T34_P648_S648_1.md) - [34 C.F.R. § 648.2 (2026) § 648.2 Who is eligible for a grant?](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFR_T34_P648_S648_2.md) - [34 C.F.R. § 648.3 (2026) § 648.3 What activities may the Secretary fund?](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFR_T34_P648_S648_3.md) - [34 C.F.R. § 648.4 (2026) § 648.4 What is included in the grant?](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFR_T34_P648_S648_4.md) - [34 C.F.R. § 648.5 (2026) § 648.5 What is the amount of a grant?](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFR_T34_P648_S648_5.md) - [34 C.F.R. § 648.6 (2026) § 648.6 What is the duration of a grant?](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFR_T34_P648_S648_6.md) - [34 C.F.R. § 648.7 (2026) § 648.7 What is the institutional matching contribution?](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFR_T34_P648_S648_7.md) - [34 C.F.R. § 648.8 (2026) § 648.8 What regulations apply?](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFR_T34_P648_S648_8.md) - [34 C.F.R. § 648.9 (2026) § 648.9 What definitions apply?](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFR_T34_P648_S648_9.md) --- Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/CFR_T34_P648_S648_9. 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