# Christmas graduate

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/christmas-graduate
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A freshman who drops out of college at the end of the first semester.

## Examples

- He became a Christmas graduate after failing his first semester.
- The university saw many students become Christmas graduates when the difficult final exams ended in December.
- Although he arrived on campus with high ambitions, the academic pressure proved too great, and he left as a Christmas graduate before the spring term began.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.