undergraduate

[uhn-der-graj-oo-it, -eyt]

noun

1. a student in a university or college who has not received a first, especially a bachelor's, degree.

adjective

1. having the standing of an undergraduate.

2. of, for, pertaining to, or characteristic of undergraduates.

undergraduate

/ ˌʌndəˈɡrædjʊɪt /

noun

1. Sometimes shortened to: undergrad. a person studying in a university for a first degree

Other Word Forms

• undergraduateship noun
• nonundergraduate noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of undergraduate¹

First recorded in 1620–30; under- + graduate

Example Sentences

It says colleges would stop considering race, gender and a wide range of other student demographics in the admissions process and to require undergraduate applicants to take the SAT or ACT.

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She undertook a PhD based on her findings, despite not having an undergraduate degree or any prior scientific training.

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All final year undergraduate students in England were asked to fill out the survey, with 52,000 responding.

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Students taking a four-year undergraduate education degree in maths, and technology and design, will have their tuition fees paid for the duration of their course - about £5,000 a year or £20,000 in total.

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As an undergraduate, he studied mechanical engineering at the University of Khartoum and in 1984 earned a PhD in philosophy and strategic planning at the UK's Bradford University.

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Related Words

• freshman 
• junior 
• senior 
• sophomore 
• student