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postsecondary

postsecondary

3 3.7
Relating to education after high school, like college or university
  • adjective
  • /ˌpoʊstˈsɛkəndˌɛri/
translation icon : postsecundaria
  • After graduating high school, he enrolled in a postsecondary program to study engineering.
  • postsecondary education
  • postsecondary institutions
  • postsecondary system

Examples

  • There were significant differences between the attitudes of the university and postsecondary respondents in the administrative and curriculum categories.

    Academic text (1991)
  • The community college system has become one of the primary settings of postsecondary education in this country.

    Academic text (1990)
  • Students must also possess "soft skills" in order to be successful at the postsecondary level.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Significantly more mothers have some postsecondary education than have no education beyond high school.

    Academic text (1990)
  • A century characterized by dramatic changes in the types of postsecondary educational institutions is rapidly coming to an end.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Career education programs at the secondary and postsecondary levels prepare students with technical knowledge and skills for specific occupations.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Economic forecasts also reveal the need to increase the number of American workers with postsecondary credentials.

    Academic text (2011)
  • In some states, these colleges enroll more American Indian students than do other postsecondary institutions.

    Academic text (1990)
  • The federal government and private foundations for education have established postsecondary credential completion as a national imperative.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Indeed, the financial and familial obligations of these first-generation students shape their choices about postsecondary education.

    Academic text (1999)

Synonyms

higher
vspostsecondary
3.3

Study at colleges or universities after high school

is the same meaning but uses a different term

Surface Forms

postsecondary positive

Morphology

postsecondary = secondary (transparent) = post + secondary

The meaning is a straightforward combination of 'post-' (after) + 'secondary' (high-school level), so learners who know both parts can derive the meaning.

Etymology

Postsecondary comes from the prefix post- meaning 'after' and secondary, as in secondary school, which means 'high school'. So, postsecondary refers to the education you do 'after' 'high school', such as college or university.