Difference Between Graduation and Bachelor’s Degree
Core difference
These terms bachelor’s degree and bachelor’s degree often confuse people as they seem to be similar terminologies. People often thought they were the same or confused the concepts of both. Both the degree and the degree are indicated to the educational qualification. All over the world different terms are used as alternatives or even these similar words are used with a different meaning. Here we will discuss how a graduate and undergraduate are referred to in the US. The basic difference between a graduate and an undergraduate in the US is that a student undertaking the 4-year undergraduate course is said to in any college or university is a college student.
Comparison chart
| Graduate | Undergraduate | |
| Definition (according to USA) | A student is said to be a graduate when they have completed their four year undergraduate degree. Also, they are enrolled in the master’s program at any college or university. | A student studying in the four-year bachelor’s degree course at any of the degree-granting colleges, universities, or institutes is said to be an undergraduate. Students who are enrolled in a four-year bachelor’s degree program and have not yet completed it fall into the undergraduate category. |
| Admission requirement | A student must possess a valid four-year graduate degree from any college or university to enroll in the master’s program or graduate program. | To gain admission to any undergraduate program, a student must have a high school certificate of completion or a diploma equivalent thereto. Along with it, some proof of income may also be required. |
| restrictions | The student must have a four-year bachelor’s degree. Non-honours degrees with fewer credit hours are not acceptable at the world’s leading institutes. | The student must obtain grades according to the required criteria of any specific undergraduate program at any specific university. You must also pass the entrance test. |
| Current course detail | Typically, four courses are 12 credit hours per course. | Typically 5-7 courses with 15-21 credit hours per semester. |
| tuition fees | In the US, average tuition fees for a postgraduate program start from €30,000 in the public sector and €40,000 in private colleges and universities. | In the US, the average fees for an undergraduate program range from €9,000 to €12,000. |
| Additional Focus | A student after completing the master’s program can be admitted for a Ph.D. or any research-based program that is offered. | A student after completing the bachelor’s program can enroll in master’s or postgraduate programs. |
| Example | A doctor or an engineer is said to graduate when they have completed their bachelor’s degree. | Students who study for an engineering degree at any college or university are said to be college students. |
In the US, any person or student who has completed their four-year bachelor’s degree at any degree-granting college, university, or institute is said to be a graduate. Graduate students can also enroll in the master’s or postgraduate programs at any college or university, but it is not a necessary condition. Once they have completed four years of a bachelor’s degree, they are known as graduates, whether they are enrolled in higher education or not. Graduates who can enroll in a master’s or postgraduate program. After that, they can go on to Ph.D. and many other higher-level research-based degrees.
What is bachelor’s degree?
In the US, undergraduates are students who are currently enrolled and studying in any of the four-year undergraduate courses at any college or university. They are said to be college students because they have not completed their four-year bachelor’s degree, but are enrolled and studying. After completing 4 years of a bachelor’s degree, undergraduates will be referred to as graduates. Students after completing their high school or any other diploma courses can enroll themselves in the undergraduate programs offered by various colleges and universities. They must also pass the entrance test before gaining admission to any undergraduate course.
Graduate vs. Undergraduate
- A graduate is a person who has completed their four-year undergraduate degree at a college or university.
- Undergraduate is a person who is currently enrolled and studying for their four-year bachelor’s degree and has not yet completed it.
- Graduates can enroll in master’s or postgraduate programs.
- A student must be clear about their higher school and must pass an entrance test before gaining admission to any undergraduate course.
- An undergraduate student after completing his four-year bachelor’s degree becomes a graduate.
