undergraduate

American  

[uhn-der-graj-oo-it, -eyt] / ˌʌn dərˈgrædʒ u ɪt, -ˌeɪt /

noun

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

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adjective

1. having the standing of an undergraduate.

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

undergraduate British  

/ ˌʌndəˈɡrædjʊɪt /

noun

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

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Other Word Forms

• nonundergraduate noun
• undergraduateship noun

Etymology

Origin of undergraduate

First recorded in 1620–30; under- + graduate

Compare meaning

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

• undergraduate vs. postgraduate

Example Sentences

Since NOvA began in 2014, Messier and his colleagues have also mentored many IU graduate and undergraduate students working on the experiment.

From Science Daily

Pappas began at Colgate as an intern while an undergraduate at Rutgers University and left for four years to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry from Princeton University.

From The Wall Street Journal

There has been growing debate in recent months around Plan 2 student loans, which were issued to undergraduate students in England between September 2012 and July 2023 and are still issued in Wales.

From BBC

At Stanford, for example, King said her undergraduate students are often required to create Facebook accounts for student groups.

From Los Angeles Times

Recent reporting indicates that nearly 40% of Stanford undergraduates are registered for accommodations.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• freshman
• junior
• senior
• sophomore
• student