alumna

American  

[uh-luhm-nuh] / əˈlʌm nə /

noun

• alumnae
  plural

1. a woman who is a graduate or former student of a specific school, college, or university.

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alumna British  

/ əˈlʌmnə /

noun

1. a female graduate of a school, college, etc

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Usage

What’s the difference between alumna, alumnus, and alumni? An alumna is a female graduate of a school, such as a high school or university. In Latin, alumnus specifically refers to a male graduate, and sometimes this distinction is carried into English. However, alumnus is also commonly used in a gender-neutral way, as is its plural, alumni. What is the plural of alumna?The plural of alumna is alumnae. This follows the plural ending construction used in other Latin-derived words, like antenna and antennae. The informal shortening alum is used to refer to a single graduate (regardless of gender). It’s sometimes pluralized as alums. Here’s an example of alumna and alumnae used correctly in the same sentence. Example: As an alumna, you share something with all of the alumnae, regardless of when each of you graduated. Want to learn more? Read the breakdown of the difference between alumnus and alumni.

Gender

What's the difference between alumna, alumnus, and alum? See alumnus.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• alumnae
  plural

Etymology

Origin of alumna

An Americanism dating back to 1840–45; from Latin: literally, “foster daughter, pupil”; feminine of alumnus

Explanation

Alumna is the feminine form of "alumnus," meaning someone who graduated from a school. An alumna is a female graduate. This word sometimes means a graduate of either gender, but it's most commonly a woman who graduates from any school — whether grammar school, high school, college, university, or med school. Schools are often proud of a famous alumna, and there might be pictures on the wall to honor them. As an alumna, you might go back for school reunions. When you're talking about a group of graduates, the word is alumni, which usually means men and women.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

alumna alumnae

Sink would be the third actress to play the role, after Famke Janssen and “Game of Thrones” alumna Sophie Turner.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

Among the well wishers in the comments were TV presenter Rochelle Humes, TV personality Stacey Solomon, and Love Island alumna Maura Higgins.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026

An alumna of what was then called North Texas State University and Howard University, Shepard also had a minor role in “The Wiz.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026

Sara is an alumna of the University of Virginia and Columbia University's School of Journalism.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 3, 2026

“What improvements?” an alumna called out in alarm.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

They were ultimately swayed, he said, by appeals from more than a thousand of the camp’s alumnae loyalists and families eager for their daughters to return this summer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026

The College of Charleston is nearly 70% female, and those alumnae opened up my understanding of this whole story.

From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2024

The petition had been launched by alumnae of Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, who opposed the liberal arts school’s plan.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 28, 2023

“Christine was able to raise the right kind of debt instruments to keep us afloat,” Kevin Mayer, Disney’s former streaming chief, told a reporter for Smith College’s alumnae magazine last year.

From New York Times ● Jun. 15, 2023

“To celebrate alumnae knowledge at Swanburne is no easy task. Nor is it a quick task. In fact, it is a lengthy task, for there is a great deal of knowledge to celebrate.”

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• alum
• graduate