Talking about Education: English Vocabulary List

a person, particularly a male one, who is a former student of a college, university, or school

"He is an alumnus of Harvard."

"An alumnus is a male graduate or former student of a particular educational institution"

a formal ceremony marking the completion of an academic program, typically involving the awarding of diplomas or degrees to students who have successfully completed their studies

"The commencement ceremony was inspiring."

"The university's commencement ceremony will be held outdoors if the weather remains sunny and warm."

money or property donated to an institution, the income from which is used for its support

"The university has a large endowment that funds many scholarships every year."

"A financial endowment is a permanently invested fund where the principal is kept intact and the investment income is used for ongoing operational support."

the head of a faculty or a department of studies in a university

"The dean spoke to the students."

"A dean is the senior academic administrator of a college or university division"

a number indicating how well a student is doing in the US education system

"Her grade point average is excellent."

"Grade point average is a numerical calculation representing a student's overall academic performance"

an elite student with the highest grade throughout school that gets chosen to give a speech at their graduation ceremony

"She was the high school valedictorian."

"The valedictorian is the graduating student with the highest academic rank who delivers the farewell address at the commencement ceremony."

a formal permission to be absent, especially from a school or other institution

"The student needed an exeat form."

"An exeat is a formal permission slip granting a student temporary leave from a boarding school or college"

a point against someone for a fault or wrongdoing, often used in educational or disciplinary contexts

"He received a demerit for talking."

"A demerit is a negative mark recorded against a person's conduct record"

a formal and academic conference or seminar

"The professor led a colloquium on new findings in quantum physics research."

"A colloquium is an academic seminar where a guest speaker presents research to a knowledgeable audience"

a former female student or pupil of a school, university, or college

"She is an alumna of Yale."

"An alumna is a female graduate or former student of a specific educational institution"

an opportunity to take an examination again after failing it initially

"He must resit the exam."

"He failed his math exam and will have to resit it in August before the new term starts."

a supervised practical experience or training period, often part of an academic course, allowing students to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world settings

"The teaching practicum gave her real classroom experience before she graduated."

"During her nursing practicum, she gained hands-on experience working with patients at a local hospital."

to fail in reaching the required standard to succeed in a test, course of study, etc.

"He flunked the math exam badly."

"If you do not study for the final exam you will probably flunk the course and be very sad."

to monitor, especially during an examination, to ensure that rules are followed and cheating is prevented

"The teacher invigilated the final exam."

"The teacher had to invigilate the final exam to make sure no students cheated during the test."

a financial grant or scholarship typically awarded to support a student's education

"She received a university bursary."

"A bursary is a non-repayable financial grant awarded to a student based primarily on financial need rather than on academic achievement or merit."

to examine something closely and carefully in order to find errors

"The auditor scrutinized every financial record."

"The auditor spent hours scrutinizing every single financial transaction in the company records for errors."

involving or combining multiple academic disciplines or fields of study

"This is an interdisciplinary project."

"The interdisciplinary course combined biology chemistry and physics to help students understand how the human body works at a cellular level."