A student or pupil is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In Britain until about 2012, underage schoolchildren were always referred to as "pupils", while those attending university are termed "students". In the USA, and more recently also in Britain, the term "student" is applied to both categories, no doubt due to US influence. In its widest use, student is used for anyone who is learning, including mid-career adults who are taking vocational education or returning to university, or younger 'researchers or artists learning from a more experienced (and usually older) colleague and mentor.

Student–teacher ratio or student–faculty ratio is the number of students who attend a school or university divided by the number of teachers in the institution. For example, a student–teacher ratio of 10:1 indicates that there are 10 students for every one teacher. The term can also be reversed to create a teacher–student ratio.