postgraduate

American  

[pohst-graj-oo-it, -eyt] / poʊstˈgrædʒ u ɪt, -ˌeɪt /

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, characteristic of, or consisting of post-graduates.

   a postgraduate seminar.

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noun

1. a student who is taking advanced work after graduation, as from a high school or college.

postgraduate British  

/ pəʊstˈɡrædjʊɪt /

noun

1. a student who has obtained a degree from a university, etc, and is pursuing studies for a more advanced qualification

2. (modifier) of or relating to such a student or to his studies

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Etymology

Origin of postgraduate

First recorded in 1855–60; post- + graduate

Compare meaning

How does postgraduate compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• undergraduate vs. postgraduate

Example Sentences

It has said students and postgraduate researchers who have already started courses would be able to complete between now and 2029.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

Oliver Contreras, a 22-year-old postgraduate law student from Brighton, East Sussex, was the first to have the vaccination.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

I was accepted at the Oxford School of Drama for its one-year postgraduate program and graduated in 2007.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026

That process can start during students’ freshman and sophomore years: A postgraduate position may necessitate a junior-year internship, and a junior-year internship may require a sophomore-year application.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 15, 2025

He was haunted by what he did not have—a postgraduate degree, an upper-middle-class life—and so his affected words became his armor.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Related Words

• alum
• graduate