enlighten me

[Dmitrij]

hi all,

I really need your help to sort out the meaning of some words.
Excuse my ignorance but I graduated from a Russian university 10 years ago. I have to get back to students problems (in English-speaking countries!) because I am revising for IELTS.
My questions are:

Who is an undergraduate?
Who is a graduate?
Who is a postgraduate?
What kind of diploma do they get after finishing their studies?

What is a framework, if there is, of student education. I mean choosing a course, changing a course, fees, kinds of student accomodation.

I understand it is too hard to get a comprehensive reply, but just a couple of words would be appreciated.

Thank you.

[Pete]

I can answer these in the context of typical American colleges:

Who is an undergraduate?
Typically it takes 4 or maybe 5 years of attending college to graduate. During that time, you are called an undergraduate.
Who is a graduate?
After you have graduated from college, you are a graduate. You may continue to attend school, working on an advanced degree, or you may do something else like take a job.
Who is a postgraduate?
"Postgraduate" is usually used as an adjective, referring to something that takes place after one graduates: postgraduate education, postgraduate degree. If it refers to a person, it would be a person in college studying for a postgraduate degree.
What kind of diploma do they get after finishing their studies?
The first college degree, the one an undergraduate expects to get, is usually called a bachelor's degree: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science.
What is a framework, if there is, of student education. I mean choosing a course, changing a course, fees, kinds of student accommodation.
Different schools have many different ways of handling these details. Also, different students can sometimes do thing differently: a full-time student pays one fixed tuition fee and signs up for some number of courses, typically 4 to 6. A part-time student may pay separately for each course. Some schools charge all students by the course. In a typical undergraduate program, you take a variety of different courses during your first 2 years, and then you select a major and take mostly courses related to that major for the final 2 years. Each student will have an advisor who helps select the courses depending on your interests.

For postgraduate study, you usually apply for a particular program (Medical doctor, lawyer, mathematics, history, etc.). Again, you will have an advisor to help you plan an appropriate program of courses.

Some colleges offer optional dormitories for living; some require students to use them. Others do not have such facilities; then you will need to rent an apartment or other quarters. Sometimes several students share an apartment to save money. At some schools, the rules are different for married and unmarried students.