Undergraduate students are working on a bachelor’s degree, while graduate students are pursuing a master’s or doctorate after finishing a bachelor’s.
Undergraduate
Studying for a first degree, an associate (2 years) or bachelor’s (4 years), after high school.
Graduate
Studying for a degree after a bachelor’s: master’s (1 to 2 years), doctorate (4 to 7 years) or professional degree (law, medicine).
Differences
- Admission: graduate programs require a bachelor’s, and often tests and letters.
- Courses: graduate studies are more specialized, with research or thesis.
- Funding: graduate students often have assistantships and fellowships.
- Class size: smaller in grad school.
Numbers
About 16 million undergraduates and 3 million graduate students are enrolled in the US (NCES).
Pay
Median weekly earnings in 2023: bachelor’s $1,493 vs master’s $1,737 (BLS).
Length of study
- A bachelor’s degree typically takes 4 years of full time study in the US, and about 120 credits.
- A master’s degree takes 1 to 2 years, a doctorate 4 to 8 years or more.
Admission
Undergraduate admission looks at high school grades, tests (many schools are test optional) and activities. Graduate admission looks at the undergraduate degree, recommendation letters, a statement of purpose and sometimes entrance tests such as the GRE, GMAT, LSAT or MCAT.
Teaching style
Undergraduate classes are broad with lectures and exams. Graduate programs focus on seminars, research and independent work.
Funding
- Undergraduates receive grants, scholarships, loans and work study.
- Graduate students get assistantships, fellowships, stipends or loans. PhD students are often funded in the sciences.
Loan limits
Federal graduate students can borrow through Direct Unsubsidized Loans and Grad PLUS or its replacement depending on current rules, so check the Federal Student Aid site for the latest limits.
Professional degrees
Law, medicine and dentistry are graduate level professional programs, in which students are called graduate or professional students.
Employment
BLS data shows higher education levels typically bring higher median weekly earnings and lower unemployment.
Degrees, timelines and costs
An undergraduate student works toward a bachelor’s degree, usually 4 years, or an associate degree, usually 2 years. A graduate student is pursuing a master’s degree (1 to 3 years), a doctorate (4 to 8 years) or a professional degree such as law, medicine or dentistry, after already earning a bachelor’s degree. Graduate programs focus on specialized study, research and a thesis or capstone, with smaller seminar classes. Many PhD students receive funding through teaching or research assistantships, which can include tuition waivers and stipends, while master’s students more often pay tuition.
Federal student aid differences
Federal Direct Subsidized Loans are limited to undergraduates, with the government paying interest while in school. Graduate students can borrow Direct Unsubsidized Loans up to 20,500 USD per year and Grad PLUS loans up to the cost of attendance, though the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 changed borrowing limits and ended Grad PLUS for new borrowers starting July 2026, so check current rules. Median earnings rise with education: Bureau of Labor Statistics data for 2023 shows weekly median earnings of 1,493 USD for a bachelor’s degree, 1,737 USD for a master’s and 2,083 USD for a doctoral degree. Unemployment is also lower with higher degrees.
Based on data from the US Department of Education and the Bureau of Labor Statistics
