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

postgraduates plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• postgraduates
  plural

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

Researchers from Macquarie University, led by Professor Ajay Narendra and postgraduate student Pranav Joshi, spent 10 days and nights in rainforest near Cooktown in far north Queensland searching for the spiders.

From Science Daily • Jun. 26, 2026

After receiving a postgraduate diploma in marketing at the Australian Graduate School of Management, she held senior positions at Australian telecom companies including Telstra.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 18, 2026

When I completed my postgraduate studies in the late 1990s, I shelved my doctoral finance thesis in a dusty library.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

Phil, he co-founded and served as the artistic director of the New World Symphony, a postgraduate orchestral academy in Miami that prepares diverse young musicians for leadership roles in classical music.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

Please forward us your resume, including previous research experience, graduate and postgraduate transcripts, and two letters of recommendation.

From "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer

Related Words

• alum
• graduate