What does graduating mean?
“Graduating” is the present participle of “graduate” and is used when someone completes a course of study and receives a degree, diploma, certificate, or similar qualification. It can also refer to the act of awarding a qualification, as in “the university is graduating 500 students.” The word is widely used as an adjective before words such as “class,” “student,” “cohort,” and “ceremony,” describing people or events in the final stage of a programme. Although its most familiar use concerns education, “graduate” and “graduating” can also apply to completing a training programme, apprenticeship, or other organised course. In everyday contexts, graduating carries a sense of achievement, transition, and movement into a new stage of life. Its language is formal but broadly neutral, making it suitable for educational announcements, biographies, and news reports as well as ordinary conversation.
To receive or be awarded a degree or other academic qualification after completing a course of study; also, to award such a qualification to someone.
"The school will be graduating 120 pupils next Friday."
The active form “graduates” is used for the recipient, while “is graduating” can describe the occasion or the process. “Graduating with honours” is a common formal construction.
Relating to a student, class, cohort, year, or event in the stage immediately before completing a course of study and receiving a qualification.
"The graduating class gathered on the lawn for the ceremony."
This attributive use is especially common in educational and ceremonial contexts.
Graduating comes from the Latin gradus, meaning “step,” reflecting the idea of taking a significant step toward the next stage of life.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
Related word forms
How graduating is actually used
Graduating is neutral and common in British and American English. In formal announcements, “graduating class” refers to the group completing a programme, while “graduating student” usually means someone in the final stage of their studies.