What is the difference between undergraduate and graduate?

Answered

"Undergraduate" means that you're pursuing a Bachelor's degree (abbreviated as a BA or BS—in "arts" or sciences respectively). This is the degree most people are talking about when they talk about basic college degrees—it's a requirement to do a lot of jobs, and is the typical degree that people receive when they go to a 4-year college right out of high school.

"Graduate" means that you're pursuing an additional degree that builds off of your Bachelor's degree (which you need to get first). These are often either Master's degrees—which are usually for professional advancement—or PhDs—which are usually for people interested in further academic research. These take years (1-2 for most Master's, 5-6 for most PhDs) after you complete your undergraduate college to attain, and they're by no means necessary for most people. A lot of people's jobs will actually pay them to get a Master's degree as a kind of additional training, and people with MAs (Master of Arts) or MSes (Master of Science) can earn a lot more money than people with just BAs/BSes.

Hope that helps you understand. Leave a comment if you have follow-up questions!