Definition of "Alumni"

"Alumni" goes back to the Latin term "alere" and means to nourish, raise and care for. An "alumnus" (m) or an "alumna" (w) are pupils of an institution or educational establishment in the strict sense. In the plural, the term "alumni" or "alumnae" is used. "Alumni" is the term used in the English-speaking and increasingly also in the German university sector for the so-called "former students" of a university.
Universities define the group of people they count among their "alumni" in different ways. Clausthal University of Technology defines this as its graduates, exmatriculated students or doctoral candidates. In addition to former professors and lecturers, alumni also include all former academic and non-academic staff at Clausthal University of Technology. To a certain extent, current students are also part of the alumni target group. Clausthal University of Technology sees them as its future alumni, its "pre-alumni".