Synonyms for Classmates: 30 Words You Can Use Instead

It’s the first day of school. You look around the room and see new faces. You call them your classmates. But what if you write the same word ten times in one essay? It starts to feel dull.

This is where synonyms for classmates come in handy. They help your writing feel fresh and natural. Whether you are a student, a blogger, or someone learning English, knowing different words for the same idea makes your sentences more interesting.

In this article, you will find 30 useful synonyms for classmates. Each word comes with a simple meaning and two example sentences. By the end, you will know exactly which word fits which situation.

Schoolmates

Meaning: Schoolmates are people who attend the same school as you.

Examples:

• Mia waved at her schoolmates as the bus pulled away.
• He still talks to his old schoolmates on video calls every month.

Fellow Students

Meaning: Fellow students are other people who are studying at the same place as you.

Examples:

• The teacher asked her to help a fellow student with the math homework.
• During orientation week, everyone met dozens of fellow students from other cities.

Coursemates

Meaning: Coursemates are people taking the same course as you, often used at colleges or in specific classes.

Examples:

• Our coursemates formed a study group for the chemistry final.
• She borrowed lecture notes from a coursemate who sat in the front row.

Peers

Type: Near-synonym

Meaning: Peers are people of a similar age or standing, often used more broadly than classmates.

Examples:

• He felt nervous presenting his project in front of his peers.
• Teachers often ask students to review their peers’ essays before submitting them.

Schoolfellows

Meaning: Schoolfellows is a slightly old-fashioned word for people who go to school together.

Examples:

• In the old letters, my grandfather described his schoolfellows fondly.
• The reunion brought together schoolfellows who had not met in decades.

Study Buddies

Type: Near-synonym

Meaning: Study buddies are classmates you regularly study with, focusing on the studying relationship rather than just shared enrollment.

Examples:

• Sam and Priya became study buddies during exam season.
• They quiz each other every evening as study buddies do.

Cohort

Type: Context-specific alternative

Meaning: A cohort is a group of students who start or progress through a program together, often used in universities.

Examples:

• Her cohort of nursing students graduated together last spring.
• The bootcamp cohort met online every day for three months.

Batchmates

Meaning: Batchmates are people who joined a school, college, or training program in the same year or group.

Examples:

• His batchmates organized a small get-together after finals.
• Two of her batchmates now work at the same hospital.

Contemporaries

Type: Near-synonym

Meaning: Contemporaries are people who lived or studied during the same time period as you.

Examples:

• The professor compared the author’s ideas to those of his contemporaries.
• She remained close with several of her university contemporaries.

Fellow Pupils

Meaning: Fellow pupils are other children or students learning together, often used for younger grades.

Examples:

• The teacher praised her for helping a fellow pupil pick up dropped books.
• All fellow pupils lined up quietly before entering the classroom.

Groupmates

Type: Context-specific alternative

Meaning: Groupmates are classmates who are working with you on a specific group task or project.

Examples:

• We split the slides evenly among our groupmates.
• One of my groupmates missed the deadline for the science fair project.

Yearmates

Meaning: Yearmates are students who are in the same academic year as you.

Examples:

• Most of my yearmates chose different universities after graduation.
• The yearbook included messages from nearly every yearmate.

Comrades

Type: Near-synonym

Meaning: Comrades are close companions who share an experience, often implying loyalty or teamwork.

Examples:

• The debate team called each other comrades after months of practice together.
• They stuck together as comrades through every difficult exam week.

Companions

Type: Near-synonym

Meaning: Companions are people who spend time with you, without a strict focus on school.

Examples:

• Her closest companions from art class still paint together on weekends.
• On the school trip, everyone was paired with a companion for the hike.

Associates

Type: Near-synonym

Meaning: Associates are people connected to you through a shared activity, often used in more formal writing.

Examples:

• He listed a few academic associates as references on his application.
• Her research associates helped her prepare the final report.

Colleagues

Type: Context-specific alternative

Meaning: Colleagues usually means coworkers, but it can describe classmates in a formal or professional program.

Examples:

• In the MBA program, students often refer to each other as colleagues.
• Her medical school colleagues met weekly to review case studies.

Section Mates

Type: Context-specific alternative

Meaning: Section mates are classmates who belong to the same class section, common in schools with multiple sections per grade.

Examples:

• Only her section mates knew about the surprise party for the teacher.
• He swapped seats with a section mate before the exam started.

Classroom Companions

Type: Near-synonym

Meaning: Classroom companions are people you regularly sit and learn with in class.

Examples:

• She sketched a small comic starring her classroom companions.
• The two classroom companions solved the puzzle together during free time.

Squad

Type: Near-synonym

Meaning: Squad is an informal word for a small, close group of friends, often from school.

Examples:

• Her squad met at the library every Thursday to finish homework.
• The whole squad wore matching shirts on spirit day.

Crew

Type: Near-synonym

Meaning: Crew is a casual word for a group of people you hang out with, including classmates.

Examples:

• His crew from science class always sat together at lunch.
• The crew planned a picnic after their last exam.

Gang

Type: Near-synonym

Meaning: Gang is an informal term for a group of friends, often used lightly and not in a negative way.

Examples:

• The whole gang showed up to cheer at the school basketball game.
• She missed her old gang from middle school after moving away.

Team Members

Type: Context-specific alternative

Meaning: Team members are classmates working together on a shared task, project, or competition.

Examples:

• Each team member had a different role in the robotics competition.
• The coach reminded the team members to bring their uniforms.

Fellow Learners

Type: Near-synonym

Meaning: Fellow learners are people who are learning alongside you, often used for online or adult education.

Examples:

• The online course had a forum where fellow learners shared tips.
• She asked her fellow learners for feedback on her essay draft.

Classfellows

Meaning: Classfellows is a rare but valid word for people who share the same class.

Examples:

• The old school records listed him alongside his classfellows.
• Few people use the word classfellows today, but it once meant simply “classmates.”

Buddies

Type: Near-synonym

Meaning: Buddies are close friends, and the word is often used casually for classmates.

Examples:

• He and his lab buddies always finish experiments early.
• Her lunch buddies saved her a seat every day.

Mates

Type: Near-synonym

Meaning: Mates is an informal, mostly British term for friends or classmates.

Examples:

• All his mates from art class came to the exhibition.
• She caught up with her old college mates over coffee.

Cohort Members

Type: Context-specific alternative

Meaning: Cohort members are individual people within a specific cohort or program group.

Examples:

• Each cohort member had to submit a short introduction video.
• The instructor paired cohort members for the final assignment.

Learning Partners

Type: Context-specific alternative

Meaning: Learning partners are classmates paired together for practice or study, often in language classes.

Examples:

• Their learning partners practiced Spanish conversation twice a week.
• She swapped feedback with her learning partner after every writing exercise.

Fellow Scholars

Type: Near-synonym

Meaning: Fellow scholars is a formal way to describe other students, often used in academic or research settings.

Examples:

• The professor invited fellow scholars to comment on the thesis.
• He thanked his fellow scholars during his graduation speech.

School Friends

Type: Near-synonym

Meaning: School friends are classmates who have become close friends, not just people in the same class.

Examples:

• Her closest school friends still meet up every summer.
• He made his best school friends during the sixth grade.

Conclusion

Learning different synonyms for classmates makes your writing more natural and interesting. Instead of repeating the same word, you can choose one that fits the situation, whether it’s a formal essay, a casual blog post, or a quick text message. These words can improve your writing, blogging, speaking, and everyday communication. Try using a few of them in your next email, school assignment, or conversation. The more you practice, the easier they will become.