For the purpose of this part:

(1) The term “graduate” means an individual who has attended an institution for at least three semesters and fulfilled academic requirements for undergraduate studies in not more than 5 consecutive school years.

(2) The term “part B institution” means any historically Black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of Black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation,,[1] except that any branch campus of a southern institution of higher education that prior to September 30, 1986, received a grant as an institution with special needs under section 1060 of this title and was formally recognized by the National Center for Education Statistics as a Historically Black College or University but was determined not to be a part B institution on or after October 17, 1986, shall, from July 18, 1988, be considered a part B institution.

(3) The term “Pell Grant recipient” means a recipient of financial aid under subpart 1 of part A of subchapter IV of this chapter.

(4) The term “professional and academic areas in which Blacks are underrepresented” shall be determined by the Secretary, in consultation with the Commissioner for Education Statistics and the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on the basis of the most recent available satisfactory data, as professional and academic areas in which the percentage of Black Americans who have been educated, trained, and employed is less than the percentage of Blacks in the general population.

(5) The term “school year” means the period of 12 months beginning July 1 of any calendar year and ending June 30 of the following calendar year.

(Pub. L. 89–329, title III, § 322, as added Pub. L. 99–498, title III, § 301(a), Oct. 17, 1986, 100 Stat. 1294; amended Pub. L. 100–369, § 10(c), July 18, 1988, 102 Stat. 838; Pub. L. 110–315, title III, § 308, Aug. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 3177.)