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

If Harvard wants to prepare its undergraduates for life after campus, it should elevate its standards too.

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He studied art history, first as an undergraduate at Manchester University, then as a graduate student at the Courtauld Institute of Art, an independent college of the University of London.

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In target dorms on campus, we hung posters that presented accurate data about the percent of undergraduates who wanted to help and befriend others.

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“For an institution that budgets on an annual basis, three years is a long time, and for a student, it’s three-fourths of an undergraduate experience.”

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She also has $30,000 in debt from her daughter’s undergraduate degree in biology, which has yet to yield any job offers in a tough labor market for new graduates.

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Related Words

• freshman 
• junior 
• senior 
• sophomore 
• student