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

The University of Nevada, where many of the 20,000 undergraduates moved into their housing this weekend, was just outside the evacuation zone Sunday. — ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026

Strantz holds a law degree from the University of Tennessee and an undergraduate degree from Memphis. — Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 22 Aug. 2026

That said, many undergraduate and even graduate students don’t have a long credit history or steady income. — Faith Wakefield, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026

Von studied at multiple colleges before receiving an undergraduate degree from the University of New Orleans. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1630, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for undergraduate

• postgraduate
• graduate

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