In some educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a bachelor's degree. In the United States, a university entry level is known as undergraduate, while students of higher degrees are known as graduates.

In some other educational systems, undergraduate education is post-secondary education up to the level of a master's degree.

English,Welsh and Northern Irish system

Students in England,Wales and Scotland enter university at the age of eighteen, usually having studied A-levels. According to the British Council, A-levels are equivalent to an American high school diploma plus the Advanced Placement Program. This combined with a greater level of specialisation throughout the course compared with the US explains why British degree programs are shorter than in the USA.

Undergraduate applications to nearly all UK universities are managed by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

Most students read for the degree of bachelor, which usually takes three years, as their first degree however in the sciences and engineering integrated courses covering both undergraduate level and advanced degree level leading to the degree of master, which usually take four years and include a research project or dissertation are popular. Given the integrated nature of these programs someone who gains the degree of master via an integrated program does not have the degree of bachelor conferred on him; the exception being some Oxbridge degrees where a BA would be conferred after the first three years even on those reading the sciences.

The degree of master conferred after an extended programs is not to be conflated with the degree of Master of Arts conferred at Oxbridge which is not a substantive qualification, but reflects the ancient practice of those two universities of promoting Bachelors of Arts to Masters of Arts (and thus full membership of the University) six or seven years after graduation.

Honours degrees and undergraduate master's degrees are awarded with 1st, upper 2nd, lower 2nd or 3rd class honours. If a student passes the course but fails to do so sufficiently well for a third class degree to be awarded he will be awarded with an ordinary degree. Some graduates write "Hons" after their degree postnominals to show that they have an honours degree and not an ordinary degree while others consider this to be an affectation.

Many universities offer sandwich courses or extramural year which offer work placements whereby the student works for a short period of time in a relevant industry before he completes his studies. Taking a sandwich course may make the course last a year longer than it would otherwise.

Some more modern universities validate two year foundation degrees courses which are vocational sub-honours-degree qualifications, similar to associate degrees in America, designed in partnership with employers and often taught in local colleges of further education.