| Word | Definition & Example |
|---|---|
| lecture n. |
A formal talk given to students. "Most introductory courses meet for two lectures and one discussion section per week." Collocations: attend a lecture, opening lecture |
| seminar n. |
A small discussion-based class. "The senior seminar requires every student to present their research." Collocations: graduate seminar, weekly seminar |
| syllabus n. |
A document outlining the topics and requirements of a course. "The professor distributed the syllabus on the first day of class." Collocations: course syllabus, follow the syllabus |
| assignment n. |
A task given to students by an instructor. "The first assignment is due by Friday at 5pm." Collocations: weekly assignment, written assignment |
| deadline n. |
The latest time something can be submitted. "I asked my professor for a one-week deadline extension." Collocations: extend a deadline, miss a deadline |
| extension n. |
Additional time granted past a deadline. "The professor granted a 48-hour extension on the term paper." Collocations: request an extension, deadline extension |
| office hours n. |
The set times a professor is available to meet students. "I went to her office hours to ask about my essay grade." Collocations: professor's office hours |
| tutorial n. |
A small-group teaching session. "The chemistry tutorial meets every Wednesday afternoon." Collocations: weekly tutorial |
| dormitory n. |
A residence hall on campus. "Most first-year students live in the dormitory closest to the main quad." Collocations: campus dormitory |
| roommate n. |
A person who shares a room. "My roommate is studying engineering on the same floor." Collocations: share with a roommate |
| registrar n. |
The university office handling enrollment and records. "Drop the form off at the registrar's office before Friday." Collocations: registrar's office |
| enrollment n. |
The act of registering for a course. "Course enrollment closes at the end of the second week." Collocations: enrollment period, late enrollment |
| transcript n. |
An official record of academic grades. "Graduate programs require an official transcript with the application." Collocations: official transcript, undergraduate transcript |
| financial aid n. |
Funding to help students pay for their education. "I applied for financial aid before the November deadline." Collocations: financial aid office |
| scholarship n. |
A grant awarded to support a student's studies. "The scholarship covers tuition for two years." Collocations: merit scholarship, need-based scholarship |
| stipend n. |
A small regular payment. "Graduate students receive a monthly stipend while teaching." Collocations: monthly stipend, research stipend |
| faculty n. |
The teaching staff of a university. "The faculty meeting is held on the first Friday of each month." Collocations: faculty member, senior faculty |
| advisor n. |
A faculty member who guides a student's academic plan. "I met with my advisor to plan next semester's classes." Collocations: academic advisor, faculty advisor |
| thesis n. |
A long written work submitted for a degree. "Her senior thesis examined nineteenth-century immigration patterns." Collocations: senior thesis, master's thesis |
| lab n. |
A practical session, often in science or engineering. "Chemistry lab runs three hours and is held twice a week." Collocations: lab session, lab report |
| lecture hall n. |
A large room used for lectures. "The introductory psychology course is held in the largest lecture hall on campus." Collocations: main lecture hall |
| semester n. |
Half of an academic year. "The semester runs from September to December, with finals the week before Christmas." Collocations: fall semester, spring semester |
| midterm n. |
An examination held mid-semester. "I have three midterms this week." Collocations: midterm exam, midterm grade |
| finals n. |
End-of-semester examinations. "Finals week is the most stressful time of the academic year." Collocations: finals week, final exam |
| GPA n. |
Grade Point Average — a numerical summary of grades. "Most graduate programs require a minimum GPA of 3.0." Collocations: cumulative GPA, raise the GPA |
How this vocabulary appears on the TOEFL
Campus Life Vocabulary terms appear directly in passages and audio across Reading · Listening · Speaking · Writing. The questions you'll see most frequently target this vocabulary are paraphrase identification (the test rewords a sentence using a synonym from this list), inference questions (you need the term's meaning to follow the argument), and reference questions (the term is the antecedent of a pronoun in another sentence). Knowing the term plus one or two natural collocations lets you decode passages faster and recognise paraphrases on the answer choices without re-reading.
How to study this list effectively
Don't try to memorise the whole list in one sitting. Effective vocabulary study works in three passes: (1) recognise — read each entry once until the word feels familiar; (2) retrieve — cover the definitions and try to recall each one from the word alone; (3) produce — write a sentence of your own that uses the word in a TOEFL context. Spaced repetition over 5–7 days will make the words stick far better than a single intensive review session. Pair this list with a practice test in the same section so you encounter the words in real test contexts.
Practise this vocabulary on real TOEFL tests
- Reading practice tests — passages on academic topics
- Listening practice tests — campus conversations and academic talks
- Full-length practice tests — vocabulary in context across all four sections
- More TOEFL vocabulary by topic