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

But USC also grew its first-year international community, according to university data about this fall’s new undergraduate class.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Research is part and parcel of graduate—and, increasingly, undergraduate—education.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Durham University said it welcomed a further increase in home undergraduate fees, but it would not resolve financial challenges.

Read more on BBC

We paid for her undergraduate degree and for her living expenses when she was in graduate school.

Read more on MarketWatch

News & World Report measure such categories as the selectivity of admissions and test scores, but City Journal is trying to measure the added value of four years of undergraduate learning.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• freshman 
• junior 
• senior 
• sophomore 
• student