is college the same as university?

Answer 1

A University is a major school and it has sub-specialties broken down into colleges (College of Engineering, College of Medicine etc).

A college is either a school smaller than a University or part of a University.

Answer 2

In the old days the word "college" could mean what we would probably call a "prep school." So one of the most famous prep schools in the world is called Eton College. It is a high school. In the USA for many years there was a school in Philadelphia called Girard College. That was a high school, too. Nowadays, if you say either college or university it means a school for people who have already finished high school - high school is called "secondary education" and colleges are called "higher education."

OK, so a lot of the schools in the USA that have been around for a while started out being called colleges. In the last 50 years or so some people made the distinction that colleges were mainly for undergraduates (people who hadnt finished their Bachelor degrees) such as Amherst College, or Trinity College. But the term college was also used for schools that specialized in one particular area, such as the College of Medicine, or College of Law. A University used to be a school that had several different colleges stuck together in one organization. Like, say at Duke University they had a College of Engineering, a Women's College and Colleges of Medicine and Law. These terms have gotten more confused lately because a lot of small schools have started changing their names from XYZ College to XYZ University because it sounds more prestigious and fancy. So there are some universities that really only have one specialty but they call themselves universities anyway.

Answer 3

Actually, depending on the institute of higher learning you attend - and the country it is in - there are differences.

First, in the U.K. there are various Colleges within each University (in this case, a college being the collection of educators and students for a particular discipline). In the U.S., there are even greater differences, as Colleges are normally considered a "junior" sort of institution, granting 2-year degrees and providing a transitional phase for students not willing or able to immediately enter a 4-year academic environment. While Americans will still refer to it as "going to college", that is just a catch-all phrase.

Answer 4

In the US generally, yes, although some people refer to Universities as places with a complete, discrete campus and a large non-local population. Universities also always offer graduate programs.

Hence the diference in naming between the University of California system difference and the local California Community College system. And many people here refer to the officially named State Universities as colleges (although they fit two of the above criteria, they are still largely local).


Hope this helps!

Answer 5

As far as the United States go: A college is a school dedicated to a certain career goal. As to a university is a collection of colleges. For instance -Smith College is a school to get a degree in nursing. Smith University is a school to get a degree in nursing, or denistry, or physical therapy.
So and and so on

Answer 6

The major difference between college and university is that in an university you will be expected to rely less on the teaching staff and more on yourself. This means you must take full responsibility for your study.

Answer 7

No.A college normally specializes in a more specific area of study. Universities however are comprised of many different colleges.Such as college of medicine,college of liberal arts and so on.

Answer 8

I believe in most parts of Europe they use the phrase " I am going off to university this fall" whereas in the states ...we generally say "i am going off to college this fall" ... its just like saying i own an automobile versus i own a car. == at least i think so :0)

Answer 9

yes americans call it college most otehr ppl i know from other countries call it university.

Answer 10

yes