An undergraduate is a student working toward their first college degree, usually a bachelor's degree.

Most undergraduates spend four years at a university, studying subjects like biology, history, engineering, or art. They take classes, write papers, and eventually complete enough requirements to earn their degree. Once they graduate, they're no longer undergraduates: they become graduates or alumni of their school.

If someone continues studying after their bachelor's degree, pursuing a master's or doctorate, they become a graduate student. So the distinction matters: undergraduates are earlier in their educational journey, while graduate students have already crossed that first finish line and chosen to keep going.

You might hear the informal shortening undergrad in casual conversation.