大学院生(だいがくいんせい)

Composed of 大学院(だいがくいん) (graduate school) + 生(せい) (student). Often abbreviated to 院生(いんせい) in casual speech.

Common collocations

• 大学院生(だいがくいんせい)として研究(けんきゅう)する (to do research as a grad student)
• 大学院生(だいがくいんせい)向(む)けの奨学金(しょうがくきん) (scholarships for grad students)
• 大学院生(だいがくいんせい)の生活(せいかつ) (grad student life)

Similar words

• 院生(いんせい) — grad student; common abbreviation, used in casual and campus contexts
• 学部生(がくぶせい) — undergraduate student
• 研究生(けんきゅうせい) — research student; a non-degree status at Japanese universities, often for international students preparing for entrance exams
• 博士課程(はくしかてい) — doctoral program; specifies the level within graduate school

Usage

In the Japanese education system, 大学院(だいがくいん) covers both the 修士課程(しゅうしかてい) (master's program, typically 2 years) and the 博士課程(はくしかてい) (doctoral program, typically 3 years). 大学院生(だいがくいんせい) refers to students at either level.