Meaning & use

prospective student

noun·Academic

A person who is considering enrolling at a school or university but has not yet been admitted.

See it in a sentence

The admissions office invited every prospective student to tour the campus before applying.

As a prospective student, she emailed the department to ask about scholarship deadlines.

A note on using this word

Prospective describes someone likely or expected to become something; do not confuse it with perspective, a common mix-up.

Words with a similar meaning

applicantcandidate

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “prospective student”, then compare your use with the examples above.

Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.