higher education

American  

noun

1. education beyond high school, specifically that provided by colleges and graduate schools, and professional schools.

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higher education British  

noun

1. education and training at colleges, universities, polytechnics, etc

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Etymology

Origin of higher education

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

So much of what ails higher education in the U.S. is rooted in a broken K-12 system that fails to prepare college-bound students adequately.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 16, 2026

Gavle University in central Sweden staged a power cut in the middle of a speech there by the higher education minister to demonstrate how its bidirectional chargers worked.

From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026

This is borne out by reports from within higher education, where the use of AI is often not considered cheating at all.

From Salon • Jun. 10, 2026

“Also just his story. As someone who works in higher education, and seeing how Xavier, being first-generation, has benefited from higher education, and how he advocates for higher education,” the Rialto resident said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

Today, more than half of college students accepted in any program of higher education are women.

From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson

Related Words

• university