Question: I am just wondering how I would say "I graduated from BLANK university" in French. Google translate says "je suis diplômé de..." but I think that translates to I have my diploma from. The word for graduate in French is graduel/graduelle. Why wouldn't we use that word or is Google translate incorrect?

Answer: 
The adjective ***graduel*** is the translation of gradual. You never use it for people but for a process. eg. *L'augmentation graduelle de température* means *the gradual temperature increase*.

We also have the adjective ***gradué*** which means *graduated* but that nowadays only apply to measurement instruments that have marks written on them. *Une échelle graduée* (a graduated scale).

It used to apply to students or military people when they got a new *grade* but this usage is lost:

> 
> [TLFi *Graduer*](http://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/gradu%C3%A9) > B. − Spéc. Élever quelqu'un à un grade militaire ou universitaire. *Les soldats graduèrent leur commandant : à Lodi ils le firent caporal, à Castiglione sergent* (Chateaubr., *Mém.*, t. 2, 1848, p. 330). *Être membre de l'université et gradué par l'une de ses facultés* (*Encyclop. éduc.*, 1960, p. 65).  
> 
>  − *Emploi subst. du part. passé. Donner des bénéfices vacants à des gradués d'université* (*Encyclop. éduc.*, 1960, p. 125).
> 
> 
> 

When referring to the army (or police), we use ***[gradé](http://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/grad%C3%A9)*** for the same, but this adjective or noun is not used for students.

Another answer suggested ***[licencié](http://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/licenci%C3%A9)***. While technically it can mean owning a *licence* (roughly equivalent to a bachelor degree, originally meaning having a right to teach, i.e. a "license to teach"), beware that saying :

> 
> *Je suis licencié de l'Université Blank.*
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> 

[might be understood](http://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/licenci%C3%A9/1): "I'm being laid off from Blank University (as an employee)"

To remove the ambiguity, you would tell which kind of *licence* this is:

> 
> *Je suis **licencié** ès lettres.*
> 
> 
> 

As graduated doesn't necessarily mean having a bachelor degree, the right translation is, as Google translate suggested:

> 
> *Je suis **diplômé** de l'université Blank.* 
> 
> 
>
The word for "graduate" in French is not "graduel" but "licencié" for a man and "licenciée" for a woman. 

> 
> (TLFi) B. ENSEIGN. SUPÉRIEUR. Celui, celle qui possède le diplôme de licence. Licencié d'une faculté; licencié en droit. -
> 
> 
> * Il faudra se représenter (...) la licenciée ès lettres, en tablier bleu de service.
> * En emploi adj. En juillet 1937, j'échouai à mon second examen de licence. (...) je ne fus complètement licencié qu'en 1939.
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Cependant, *il ne faudrait pas dire* « je suis licencié de/par l'université X », un français risque de comprendre « j'étais employé par l'université X, puis elle m'a fait partir », même si la formulation correcte serait « j'ai été licencié par l'université X ». Voir les commentaires pour d'autres détails (user **Gilles**).

Why words are not used the way that seems so natural to you is simply explained by the fact that what some "put" or "see" into a word or concept is never what others "put" or "see" into it, specially as they belong to the opposite sides of a language divide. In this particular case one might say that the English saw in the concept of university studies a ladder the steps of which are the marks of certain levels of achievement and the French, even if they do see that into it, had rather resort to something that caracterises that activity in an other vein, equally important in defining this activity, and that is the necessity of an authority that sanctions the achievements at the different levels, and attributes to the student certain corresponding privileges, certain rights, the first being the "licence", the right to apply for certain jobs and for higher education. 

For "I graduated from BLANK university" you would say "**J'ai obtenu une licence de l'université de BLANK**", "**Jai obtenu ma licence de l'université de BLANK**". The first possibilité could be used more often ([ngram](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=obtenu+ma+licence%2Cobtenu+une+licence&year_start=1500&year_end=2008&corpus=19&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cobtenu%20ma%20licence%3B%2Cc0%3B.t1%3B%2Cobtenu%20une%20licence%3B%2Cc0)).