VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

tertiary education

noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˈtɜːʃəri ˌedjʊˈkeɪʃn/
US/ˈtɝːʃiˌeri ˌedʒəˈkeɪʃn/

Meaning

  1. noununcountable

    Study at a university, college, or training institution after finishing secondary school.

    Grammar: Used without an or an: she went into tertiary education.

    Patterns

    • tertiary education in something
    • go into tertiary education

    Most students in the program go on to tertiary education after school.

    The government has increased funding for tertiary education.

    Tertiary education includes universities as well as technical colleges.

Common combinations

enter tertiary education
She was the first in her family to enter tertiary education.
access to tertiary education
Scholarships improve access to tertiary education.
free tertiary education
Some countries offer free tertiary education.
tertiary education sector
The tertiary education sector has grown rapidly.
tertiary education institution
Each tertiary education institution sets its own entry rules.

Synonyms and how they differ

higher education
Higher education is the most common everyday equivalent and often means universities mainly, while tertiary education includes vocational colleges too.
post-secondary education
Post-secondary education is the term used in North America for any study after high school.
further education
In Britain, further education usually means vocational or lower-level study, not degree programs.
university education
University education is narrower, since it excludes colleges and trade institutions.

Opposites

primary educationsecondary education

Word family

tertiary adjective
third in order or level
education noun
the process of teaching and learning
educate verb
to teach someone
educational adjective
relating to education
educator noun
a person who teaches

Commonly confused: tertiary education or further education? tertiary education or secondary education?

tertiary education vs further education

Further education in Britain often refers to study after school that is not a university degree. Tertiary education is the wider term including both.

tertiary education vs secondary education

Secondary education is the school stage before tertiary education.

Practice

Which stage comes immediately after secondary school?

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “tertiary education”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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

Explore more words