An undergraduate is a university student who is still working toward their first degree — a bachelor's degree. Once they finish and go on to a master's or a doctorate, they are a graduate student (or in British English, a postgraduate).

An undergraduateundergraduate（這個字） is a university student是指大學生 who is still working toward their first degree還在攻讀他們的第一個學位 — a bachelor's degree也就是學士學位。Once they finish等他們畢業之後 and go on to a master's or a doctorate繼續攻讀碩士或博士, they are a graduate student他們就是graduate student（研究生） (or in British English, a postgraduate)英式英文則叫postgraduate

So the word marks a stage, not an age: a fifty-year-old starting a bachelor's degree is an undergraduate too. The word works both as a noun ('she is an undergraduate') and as an adjective before another noun ('undergraduate courses', 'undergraduate students', 'my undergraduate years'). In everyday speech people shorten it to 'undergrad', which is very common in American English and in student talk everywhere.

So the word marks a stage, not an age所以這個字標記的是階段，不是年齡: a fifty-year-old starting a bachelor's degree is an undergraduate too五十歲才開始念學士學位的人也是undergraduate。The word works both as a noun這個字可以當名詞 ('she is an undergraduate')「she is an undergraduate」 and as an adjective before another noun也可以放在另一個名詞前面當形容詞 ('undergraduate courses', 'undergraduate students', 'my undergraduate years')「undergraduate courses」「undergraduate students」「my undergraduate years」。In everyday speech日常口語裡 people shorten it to 'undergrad'大家會簡稱成「undergrad」, which is very common in American English這在美式英文很常見 and in student talk everywhere在各地學生用語裡也很常見

Two things often confuse learners. First, the word describes someone who has NOT yet graduated — the under- here means 'below that level', not 'under a graduate' in any physical sense. Second, in ordinary conversation English speakers usually do not use it at all; they just say 'I'm a student' or 'I'm at university'.

Two things often confuse learners有兩件事常讓學習者搞混。First第一, the word describes someone who has NOT yet graduated這個字說的是還沒畢業的人 — the under- here means 'below that level'這裡的under-意思是「還在那個等級以下」, not 'under a graduate' in any physical sense不是字面上「在一個graduate底下」的意思。Second第二, in ordinary conversation在一般對話裡 English speakers usually do not use it at all英語人士其實通常根本不會用這個字; they just say 'I'm a student' or 'I'm at university'他們只會說「I'm a student」或「I'm at university」

'Undergraduate' comes out when the difference from graduate study actually matters — on forms, in admissions offices, in course catalogues, in job ads asking for 'an undergraduate degree'. In that last phrase it simply means a bachelor's degree.

'Undergraduate' comes out「undergraduate」會被用到 when the difference from graduate study actually matters是在跟graduate study的差別真的重要的時候 — on forms, in admissions offices, in course catalogues在表格上、在招生辦公室、在課程目錄裡, in job ads asking for 'an undergraduate degree'在徵才廣告要求「an undergraduate degree」時。In that last phrase在這最後一個詞組裡 it simply means a bachelor's degree它就只是指學士學位