Meaning & use
pre-university
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
describing education or courses that prepare students for university, usually taken after high school
Grammar: Comes before a noun: pre-university program, pre-university year.
Patterns
- pre-university course
- pre-university program
- pre-university education
She took a pre-university course in biology to prepare for medical school.
Many students do a pre-university year abroad before starting their degree.
The school offers pre-university programs for students who need extra preparation.
nouncountable
a period of study or a course that prepares students for university
Grammar: Can be used as a noun: a pre-university, two pre-universities. Often written as 'pre-university' with a hyphen.
Patterns
- do a pre-university
- a pre-university in something
He completed a pre-university in engineering before applying to university.
The college offers a one-year pre-university for students who need to improve their grades.
Common combinations
- pre-university course
- The pre-university course covers math, physics, and chemistry.
- pre-university program
- She enrolled in a pre-university program to boost her grades.
- pre-university education
- Pre-university education is designed to bridge the gap between school and university.
- pre-university year
- He spent a pre-university year improving his English.
Synonyms and how they differ
- college preparatory
- College preparatory is mainly used in American English for high-school courses that prepare students for college; pre-university is broader and used internationally.
- foundation
- A foundation course is a specific type of pre-university course, often in art or design; pre-university is a more general term.
Word family
- university noun
- a place where students study for degrees
Commonly confused: pre-university or pre-school?
pre-university vs pre-school
Pre-school is for very young children before primary school; pre-university is for older students before university. Do not mix them up.
Practice
After finishing high school, she took a ______ course to prepare for her degree.
Choose one answer.
'Pre-university' is the correct adjective before 'course'. 'Pre-school' is for young children, 'pre-universities' is a plural noun and does not fit, and 'university pre' is not a natural English phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pre-university”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.