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 study’s co-lead authors, Sefcovic and University of Illinois undergraduate student Payton Kohlberg, were part of the museum’s 2025 cohort of Women in Science Interns. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 24 Sep. 2026

Enrollment numbers show the college has 527 graduate students and a record 2,691 undergraduate students, eclipsing last year’s record 2,632 undergraduates. — Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026

Test scores and undergraduate grades are central to the department’s case. — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026

In academic performance, boys lag well behind girls in elementary school, high school, and college, where female undergraduates now outnumber their male peers roughly 2 to 1. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 21 Sep. 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