undergraduate

noun

un·​der·​grad·​u·​ate ˌən-dər-ˈgra-jə-wət 

-ˌwāt;

-ˈgraj-wət

: a student at a college or university who has not received a first and especially a bachelor's degree

undergraduate adjective

Examples of undergraduate in a Sentence

a group of college undergraduates

Recent Examples on the Web

Yale University announced on Tuesday that new undergraduate students from families making under $200,000 a year would receive free tuition, and students from families making under $100,000 a year would have all their education costs waived. —Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 28 Jan. 2026

Queens University of Charlotte was founded as a liberal arts undergraduate institution for women. —Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 28 Jan. 2026

Delmez moved to Nashville for good in 1998 after undergraduate study at the city’s Vanderbilt University. —Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026

Accordingly, the study examines both the share and number of international students, with particular attention to undergraduate enrollment. —Time Staff, Time, 28 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1630, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for undergraduate

• graduate
• postgraduate

Kids Definition

undergraduate

noun

un·​der·​grad·​u·​ate ˌən-dər-ˈgraj-(ə-)wət 

-ə-ˌwāt

: a student at a college or university who has not yet received a degree