What's the difference between "graduate student" and "postgraduate student"?

A graduate student is one who is studying for a graduate qualification - a Bachelor's Degree, for example, a B.A. or a B.Sc. Once he has this degree, he is a graduate. A post-graduate student already has this degree and is studying for a post-graduate qualification - a Master's degree.

Who has completed bachelors degree is a graduate student and who has completed master's degree is a post graduate student.

You say that you know they are of similar meanings. At the same time you say that there is a difference in their meanings. You are in a fix. A graduate student becomes a graduate after he finishes the course duration and passes the required exams related. A post graduate student becomes a Post graduate after completion of the course and passes the required exams related. [b][/b]

Within the U.S System, student pursuing a bachelor's degree are referred to as undergraduates. Student are pursuing a master's or doctoral degree are referred as graduate student. A Post-doc is a person pursuing further academic work after receiving a doctoral degree

Hi szz, You have probably not encountered another term in the context which is undergraduate. This term is mostly used by US universities if I get my facts right. I agree that across countries, the terms vary and it gets quite confusing at times. So, for my understanding and to try to make sense out of all the various terms, lets assume that the normal pattern, regardless of nomenclature in the path of education is like this: 10 years + 2 years + 3 years + 2 years where ten years is schooling, 2 years is either called 'plus two' or 'pre university', the three year course is graduate study and the subsequent two years is post graduate study. Now there are several variants to the basic norm. For example, some technical courses of three years duration are offered in polytechnic colleges called Diploma. If one were doing technical degree after 10 + 2, then the graduate course will be mostly four years. Then there are integrated post graduate courses of five years after 10 + 2 also, recently being offered. I hope I am guilty of compounding the confusion and seek your pardon. :P

Hi there szz1990602.. I think there is a little difference between. What I understand about these two is that when we say "graduate student" it refers to some graduate or fresh graduate of any BS and non-BS courses. When we say "postgraduate student", it refers to those graduate students who proceeds to masteral and doctoral degree such as PhD. Hope it help the confusion.