aspirant:
(also ‘aspirer‘; plural: ‘aspirants‘; pronunciation: this word is said in two ways: 1. with the letter ‘i’ rhyming with the letter ‘a’ in “about” and 2. with the letter ‘i’ rhyming with the word “eye”)
a person, usually young and ambitious, who hopes for and tries very hard to get something great or important;
a wannabe; a candidate,
some aspirants for a Ph. D. (the highest academic qualification)
This academic year our school has a lot of aspirants aspiring for a seat at a great university.
Those political aspirants who are too ambitious to be higher up in the pecking order spoil the peaceful political atmosphere of a region.
The goal of every spiritual aspirant is to realize his real nature.
