undergraduate

Picture a student at the beginning of their university journey. An undergraduate is a person studying for their first degree at a college or university, usually a bachelor’s degree. They have started higher education, but they have not yet finished that first degree. You might say, "My sister is an undergraduate studying biology."

The word can also describe things connected to this stage of study. For example, an "undergraduate course" is a course for students working toward a first degree, and "undergraduate research" is research done by those students.

The word undergraduate describes a student who is studying at a college or university for their first degree, most often a bachelor’s degree such as a BA or BS. You can think of this stage as the first main step in higher education. It comes before graduate or postgraduate study, such as a master’s degree or a doctorate.

The word is used both as a noun and as an adjective. As a noun, it means the student: "She is an undergraduate at UCLA." As an adjective, it describes something related to that level of study: "undergraduate program," "undergraduate degree," or "undergraduate research." In everyday English, it usually refers to someone who has not yet completed their first university degree.

It is important to note that undergraduate specifically refers to the period before a student has earned that first degree. Once someone has completed a bachelor’s degree and starts studying for a master’s or PhD, they are usually called a graduate student or postgraduate student instead. So, if you see a scholarship, internship, or campus event for "undergraduates," it is meant for students who are still working toward that first degree.