What is the difference between "alumno(a)" and "estudiante(a)"?

Question

Is "alumno" a college student and "estudiante" a student of any kind (secondary, junior high, high school, college, nursing, etc.)? Thanks a bunches!!

Answer 1

All alumnos are estudiantes. The inverse does not hold true. To be "alumno" you must be registered at an institution, or be someone's student. But you can be a student (estudiante) on your own, in which case you're no-one's "alumno". Eg. "Soy estudiante de las costumbres puertorriqueñas".

I'm that case you can't use "alumno"

Soy estudiante de la gente verde - 005faa61, May 10, 2011

Exactly. You study truly fascinating people. Now, if you say: "soy alumno de una persona verde", them it's likely that you're one of my pupils. - Gekkosan, May 10, 2011

Answer 2

From what I have found, they are interchangeable. Rosetta Stone teaches "alumno(a) de la universidad" as well as "alumno(a) de la escuela secundaria".

Estudiante does not have gender.

Él es un estudiante.

Ella es una estudiante.

Well, it does have gender, it just doesn't change depending on its gender. To say it doesn't have gender is to suggest that it is neuter, and Spanish does not have neuter nouns; but it does have a neuter form - "lo". - Azabache, May 10, 2011