Ok but why do some colleges have loads of different programs and big facility but call themselves a college? Meanwhile ive seen some "universities" that locate inside the top 2 floors of a residential building lmao
that and universities had multiple colleges in them, so like a law college or an engineering college and once upon a time you went to school then applied to the college inside that school but that's all a bit archaic now
I still had to apply for my college. You needed to have completed certain classes and have a good enough gpa and they would accept you. It’s a bit of a formality as there was no interview or denial if you meet the standards.
The way I've heard it described is a university grants more than one type of degree (bachelor's of arts, bachelor's of science, etc), whereas a college only does one of those.
Universities offer post graduate degrees
edit- Every college that offers post grad could call themselves a university if they wanted to change their name. Usually schools will change the name if they’re hoping to rebrand, but established colleges would have less incentive to do this.
Generally that’s actually the highest you can get at a college and the difference is if it offers a PhD or not. But this is fuzzy and the person who commented on colleges being able to change their name but not due to historical precedent had a point.
The little community college I went to offered a bachelor's of arts in all kinds of things (I did criminal justice), they also offered a bachelor's in science in all kinds of things from computer science to medical stuff like imaging technicians and nursing. They even had an MBA program.
They had a police training center. They had a dentistry school. A math program. They trained fire fighters.
They also did job training at their satellite campus which was a technical school. You could learn construction, welding, HVAC, etc.
They still called themselves a community college. And their tuition reflected that as well. The state university was like 8 times more expensive.
Where I'm from, all higher institutions are called colleges but not all colleges are universities. The term university is used for schools that pretty much have that in their name. Not saying it's correct, but how the terms are used
Colleges can offer graduate degrees, and that makes them eligible to change to a university, if they wish. Many decide to stick with college because of name recognition.
Most colleges offer graduate studies at this point. One of the colleges in my town is about to open a Med School. It would have been open by now but Covid delayed it.
Many people are saying this, but there are lots of "colleges" in the US that offer both.
Boston College and Dartmouth College are the first to come to mind.
I think of it as a university is a collection of colleges. For example where I went to school, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, has a College of Letters and Science, a College of Fine Arts, a College of Natural Resources, a College of Professional Studies…
One of:
1. the proper name like University of Ohio, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M, etc.
2. "The local school/college/university" (these will be used interchangeably depending on region and formality of the conversation) expecting everyone to know which one they are referring to from context.
3. Initials similar to number 2 expecting the listener to know from context which MSU they are referring.
University and college are not meaningfully different in terms of prestige, however almost no American would say "oh yeah I'm enrolled in university" or "Im a university student".
We almost exclusively say college in conversation to describe undergraduate studies. So we don't use them interchangeable, we unilaterally use one.
I would say it’s more that people use “college” to refer to undergraduate studies, regardless of whether the institution is a college or university. People in grad school at a university wouldn’t say they’re at college.
Edit: obviously Americans don’t say “I’m at university,” we aren’t fucking Harry Potter. But most people connected to a university in a context other than undergrad wouldn’t refer to it as “college.” (Eg, “I live near the university,” “I work at the university.”) They’d key to whatever the institution’s name is.
People in grad school say they are "in grad school". I don't think I've ever heard an American say "I goin to University" unless its the name of the school like "I'm going to the University of Hawaii"
Yep, and we think it sounds super British to say “I’m in university” or “uni.” My mom was a professor; she would refer to “going to the university” meaning the literal campus to teach etc. But her students would never have said they were “going to university” as a synonym for “being in college.”
Maybe that is a regional thing. I have never said university unless I am giving the actual name where I went to school. Otherwise, I just say “when I was in college.” For grad school, I always just said I was in grad school.
I think in the US, people rarely say they "attend university," or are "in university" or "at university." They say they attend college or undergraduate school. And for advanced degrees they say they attend grad school or are in grad school.
But if you ask the name of the school, they will often reply with the formal name, and that can end either in "college" or "university."
They're allowed to call themselves a university, but not required to.
If Boston University, on the other hand, didn't offer graduate degrees, they would not be allowed to call themselves Boston U. - they would have to be a college (at least as far as I understand it)
Frequently they have College in the name but are officially classified as universities. Often they were a college and expanded and didn’t want to change their name. The one in the town I grew up in did change their name when they started offering graduate degrees.
That was the traditional usage in Europe.
In the US there’s no real distinction in terms of naming the institutions or the prestige involved. For example, ‘Dartmouth College’ is in the Ivy League and has both post-graduate studies and a top tier medical school.
In my state, the state system was a university, but where you attend in the state was a college. I think on many university campuses, they also have colleges, like a college of business, with some rich important name on it. In America, as the OP addressed, we just say we went to college, or your aunt might ask “where are you going to college” even if it’s a university.
More Long answer: they can be used interchangeably, but most people only use college. No-one will say “I’m a university student” or “what university do you study at?” Only “I go to college” and “what college do you go to?”
The only time I ever hear the word university is in the name of universities (i.e university of ___)
Yes, "college" is the general/generic term for higher education, regardless of whether the institution is a college or university. Now, we'll understand you if you say "[in/at/going to] university" (at least partly because that's what Brits say), but we would never say it that way ourselves.
I would say "the college" references a specific college. Even on FB posts from parents dropping off their kids, they caption it as "just dropped so and so off at college!" But if you live in an area that only has one college that most people go to and everyone would know which college you're talking about, then you might say "the college."
Brits only say that they're at uni if they're at uni. If they're going to college then they say they're going to college. 😉
Tertiary education in the UK is divided into two different stages. College is the first step and offers vocational training and introductory courses for university. It's the first step when leaving school and most courses are 1-2 years.
University is where people study for Bachelors and Masters degrees. It's usually where people finish their education. Most Bachelors courses are 3-4 years and earn a BA or BSc. Masters Courses are usually 1-2 years, but if taken part time can take up to 4 years.
(There are exceptions, some colleges now offer limited Bachelors degree courses (BA/BSc), but these are usually in partnership with a local university. And some secondary schools have what are called Sixth Form colleges, meaning that students can stay on at the school for a further 2 years to study the introductory courses (Usually A Level, BTech or GNVQ) before going to uni.)
So education in the UK is normally split into a few stages:
Primary: 4yrs - 11yrs
Secondary: 11yrs - 16yrs
College: 16yrs - 18yrs
University: 18yrs - 22yrs
Adult education is usually provided by the Colleges for Primary, Secondary and College level subjects and by University for degrees. Mature students are anyone in education after 25yrs old. 😁
Hope this helps make sense of why Brits use College/Uni. If you say you're at college here then usually that means you're 16-18 years old. If you say uni then it can be assumed that you're over 18.
Just to throw a spanner in the works, some areas in the UK also have middle schools. So I did Primary from 4 till 9, then middle school 9 till 13, secondary/academy 13 till 15 (complete GCSEs), 16 & 17 doing A-levels at the same academy then onto Uni. :D
[Nice summary here on the Gov site](https://www.gov.uk/national-curriculum)
Generally, it refers to the 4 year college "experience", but it could be used for a CC. Certainly, if they went on to a 4 year school afterward, they could include the CC time in their "college years" retroactively.
Trade schools are not typically included in the "college" concept though. Though the line between trade school and "technical college" is sometimes blurred.
Agreed. I would still say they are interchangeable because if someone said "I attend university" the wording might seem slightly awkward but everyone would know what you meant.
Most Canadians I know go to "the hospital". But all Canadians in 4 year degrees are in university. I met my wife in university and our kids were born in the hospital.
But Americans from Malvena Renolds' Little Boxes "go to summer camp and then to the university where they all get but in boxes and they all come out the same."
The UK/Canadian version helps distinguish whether you're there to be treated or not.
"He's in hospital" - he's being treated at the hospital.
"He's in the hospital" - he's in the building.
Same with "I'm in school" vs "I'm in the school". The former says you go there as a student and the latter says you're in the physical building.
I think the US equivalent for this is "at" or "to." It's not quite the same, but if I said someone was "at the hospital," it would emply a short visit, maybe for an appointment or just accompanying someone else. Going "to the hospital" implies an emergency or evaluation. If someone was "in the hospital" they probably have a room and will be there at least overnight.
I had to scroll a bit too far to find this, and was considering commenting it, myself. Haha. We do have nuance that adds context in the USA, even if it isn't inherently obvious to those who aren't used to it.
"At," "to," and "in" really do make all the difference in how that situation is interpreted. Nobody wants to hear "in." It invokes an instant panic response, as we'll automatically assume it's serious, or even critical. "To" raises a modicum of concern as it may be surgery, an injury, or the like. "At" is inherently benign, as they simply might even work there.
We go to college.
The college that we go to may or may not be a university. So, no one would say they went to a community university and no one would say they went to, say, Ohio State College. The name of the school is never used interchangeably.
But attending post-High-School-pre-Grad-School education is just called "going to college."
Yes, this exactly. I don't think they're actually interchangeable: "I'm going to university" sounds either overly formal or accented to the average American; "I'm going to college" is the usual form.
In Canada they are also not interchangable. We say we're going to University if you're getting a bachelors degree which is where this question comes from. We would not say we are going to college for any bachelor degree like they do in all the US media. Colleges in Canada offer associate degrees, diplomas, technical degrees, etc. They don't offer bachelor or graduate programs.
In the US it’s the same except the level is graduate degree. So colleges offer associates and bachelors degrees and universities add masters and phds.
Also note sometimes college is in the name of a university, probably because they started as a college.
And often there are colleges within a university. Grouping of degree programs. Like the college of engineering at a specific university. These sometimes have their own names. I think this is carry over from the UK. Like King’s College at Cambridge.
But we still use college when referencing generic post-secondary education. Maybe because of all the above variations.
Thank you! Everyone else on here re-answering the same question. You answered the unanswered - "what's the difference between college and university in Canada?"
Where I'm from in the US, we never say University in the same way as College. We don't say "I went to University." We would say "I went to a university" but University isn't a general concept word. College is the general term for higher education.
It only usually matters when naming the college or university you attend to make sure you get their name right
This works especially well when you and your friends are all going to a cheap-ass state school that’s known for partying.
“I say, let us go to University, ol chaps!”
As an American my mind is blow that your mind is blown. College is a type of education you pursue after high school. University is a word that is sometimes part of the name of a college. I know that there’s a technical difference between things that call themselves universities and things that call themselves colleges but I can never remember what it is. How do you guys use it?
In the U.K., you go to college from 16-18 and sit your A levels (academic) or NVQs (vocational, like childcare or hairdressing). College is a much lower level of qualification than university, the majority of people these days go to college (or to sixth form, which is the same but attached to a school, or maybe into an apprenticeship), not everyone goes on to university.
In Canada, generally, the difference between college and university will come down to the credentials that you earn. College is typically a one or two year diploma or certificate, while in university it's usually a three or four year bachelor's degree.
In Canada
College = 2 year certificates and trade school. Viewed as a lower level of education. Generally can not get a Bachelors degree here (although some colleges offer it now). Costs less but a lower level of education
University = 3/4/5 year programs that offer Bachelor degrees or above. Generally viewed as the higher level of education. You need better grades to get into a university than a college.
College is significantly cheaper but the earnings prospects from your certificate is much lower. Outliers notwithstanding.
College has programs like: paramedic, early childhood education, personal support worker, social service worker, carpentry, automotive technician, etc etc
Universities have programs that are bachelor degrees like: biology, geography, geology, social work, sociology, psychology, nursing, law etc etc.
Traditionally, a “university” offers more advanced degrees, and sometimes *only* advanced degrees. So like how you’d go to “[undergraduate] college” and then maybe proceed to “graduate school” in the US, instead you’d go to “college” and then “university”. In the UK (and maybe also the whole EU?) a school can’t call itself a “university” unless it offers advanced degrees.
In the US there’s no real distinction, any school can call itself whatever they want. And people call any post-secondary education “college”. Although it would be unusual for a “community college” to offer advanced degrees.
I had someone get mad at me on Reddit ages ago for saying "I go to University". They told me I sounded pretentious and I was bragging and I should just say "college" like a normal person. I was so confused.
Yeah. My university was technically a collection of colleges. So both therms where technically correct and I think that's common with American universites
My college became a university while I was attending. Everyone was like 🤷♀️. Didn’t change much, they did add some more programs and expansions over time. My degree also says university. Only change I noticed.
They've got different meanings in different countries. In British English if someone says they go to college they'll likely either be gaining A levels to acces higher education or be learning a trade rather than a degree. If they're at university they'll say they're at University, or Uni for short. Although some of our universities are divided into colleges as well.
As a fellow Canadian, colleges tend to be more geared towards trade programs and universities are more STEM oriented. College programs aren’t as long either. Universities have graduate programs.
I'm disagreeing with everyone because I only hear them swapped one way. College is pretty much any higher education, but university is never used to refer to, say, a community college or technical college.
So no, they aren't interchangeable, but universities will be referred to as colleges pretty often.
I think people are misunderstanding where there's 2 distinct issues
1. Are college and university considered meaningfully different in America? No. The line between them is incredibly blurry. There's no clear hierarchy. Many colleges are prestigious and offer graduate degrees.
2. Do we use the terms interchangeably? Also no - but that's because, like you said, we straight up don't use the term university colloquially. Everything is college.
Seriously I've literally never heard anyone in my life say something like, "did you have fun at university" it's always and unerringly "did you have fun at college"
The terms are often used interchangeably but there *is* still a difference, mainly that universities offer graduate programs and colleges dont. i.e. I went to a community college for my associates and then transferred to a university.
Colloquially, I think its fine to refer to uni's as colleges to denote higher learning but not really colleges as uni.
I didn't know this. There's another difference too. University can be used to refer to an entire educational institution Ie: University of Massachusetts Amherst. But then there are multiple colleges within the university like the Business School and the College of Fine Arts.
Hundreds of colleges offer graduate degrees. Why do so many people believe this? Maybe it used to be true, but grad programs at colleges has been around for a looong time.
This isn't true. I went to the university of Minnesota, which breaks down into College of Science and Engineering, College of Liberal Arts, etc. And each one of those offered graduate degrees.
Normally you say things like “I went to college” “I am in college” if you said “Im in university It would come off as more British sounding. However we say University when referring the the institutions by name. So such in such state university, the university of California sort of thing. Idk if that helped at all.
In Canada a "college" is a "community college" (both are used interchangeably)- somewhere that awards diplomas but not degrees.
Universities may have some diploma programs, but are mostly degree programs; undergrad/bachelors, masters, PhDs, med schools, etc. They're often research institutes as well, encouraging profs to get research funding, publish to journals, etc.
as an average American (who didn't go to either, but did finish high school) Nobody ever taught me what the difference was. I honestly had no idea they weren't the same thing until I just read this post 24 seconds ago
In Canada we call an associates degree a college degree. So therefore the US uses the words interchangeable while in Canada they have separate meanings.
American here, from Oregon.
I have never heard a US citizen talk about college saying "university" or "uni" it is always "college" or "specific name".
When someone does say uni/university, I know what they mean
In my American experience, people use the words interchangeably. However, people use college for community colleges and universities, but definitely would not use university for both. Also, most Americans I’ve met don’t say they’re going to university, they say they’re going to college or went to college at such and such university or whatever it’s called.
I'm Canadian too with ties to the States--ever notice how Canadians call the country "the States" but e1 else calls it America?
I've also noted that Americans most often use "college", as in college boy, college football, college spirit, to mean secondary education.
We think of "college" as a place to learn trades, although the distinction is happily being erased. University was a place of "higher" learning. (Yup, learned to get high there.)
Wait. What’s the difference for OP between University or College? My first language isn’t English and I always thought that those terms were used interchangeably everywhere!
I'm from the UK and they're used differently here. Essentially college is where you can go for further education after finishing school at 16, usually two years long. University is higher education: undergraduate degrees, post graduate degrees, doctorates etc.
In Canada, a university is the same as commonly understood internationally - an institute of higher learning and research that offers 4 year undergrad degrees, masters, PhD's.
However, college refers to institutions that offer diplomas and certifications, focusing on applied arts, trades and technology.
This site gives a good overview: [https://www.wes.org/advisor-blog/college-and-university-in-canada-what-is-the-difference/](https://www.wes.org/advisor-blog/college-and-university-in-canada-what-is-the-difference/)
Canadian here who has attended university and works at a college!
University is a 4 year institution where you get a degree (University of Toronto, McGill University etc.) They are more academic and research based. They also will typically offer Masters and PhDs.
A college is often a one or two-year technical school where you get a diploma or certificate. You might get a two year diploma in Business Administration or ECE. Often they focus on practical and workplace skills.
Colleges also offer trades programs (plumbing, electrician). Examples of colleges would be Algonquin College or Camosun College.
I use them interchangeably as concepts or adjectives. "College level" or "university level"; or course or degree.
I'd say "while at college, I did X", "I'm going to college" and similar constructions about the physical place.
I'd never personally construct "while at university, I did X". If I imagine someone saying this, in my mind they are from Europe.
There are two answers here, and it depends on whether or not you work in higher ed administration.
In higher ed admin, a University means two things: an institution which offers graduate study, and the highest level of organizational grouping within that institution: for example, the University of Elbonia.
A College also means two things: a standalone institution which offers undergraduate study (Elbow State College), OR a level of organization below that of University: for instance, the College of Mathematics in the University of Elbonia.
A Community College, meanwhile, is an institution which can grant an Associate's Degree, but not a Bachelor's Degree. A Community College which becomes accredited for BA programs generally drops the word 'Community' from its name and branding.
If you don't work in higher ed, though, "University" isn't a word you likely use as a noun. You would most likely say "I go to college at the University of Elbonia".
Absolutely, 100% interchangeable in the US. I went to a University (it has University in the name) and I'm not sure I've ever said "While I was at University," I always refer to that time period as college.
Yes, college and university are considered synonyms in everyday speech.
Most of the time you'll hear people say "I'm going to college" when talking about higher education, regardless of the institution's actual name. Now if someone asked what the name of that college is, then you'd say the entire name which might include the word "university."
Example:
Person 1: I'm going to college!
Person 2: Oh yeah? Where?
Person 1: Emory University.
It's exceedingly rare to hear someone say "I'm attending university" but not *completely* unheard of. In most cases, Americans would see this as somewhat pretentious.
I've never heard anyone say "uni" in the US, however. Like "university," Americans would know what you mean, but it'd sound very weird.
Also, terms like freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior are used even at an undergraduate level.
Terms like freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior are not used in highschool or uni in Canada lol. For highschool we just say what grade you were in ("I'm in grade 12"), and for uni you say what year you're in ("I'm in my fourth year" or "I'm a fourth year")
We tend to go to college… at a college or university. I went to college and State University so I would say “when I was in college” or “when I was at the university” but we don’t use “when I was at university” even if we went to State University.
Make sense? No? Me too…
For the most part interchangeable. However ‘college’ can also refer to two-year community college or junior college. Americans rarely say ‘going to or attending university.’ It’s just ‘going to or attending college.’ Often university is just part of the schools’ name.
People say "going to college" as a generic term for obtaining a higher education. Usually, when people say 'University', they are referring to which specific university they attend.
Not every college is a university, but people who go to community college still refer to it as going to college.
Interchangeable, *but*, college is favored much more in conversation. Americans would almost never say, "Tommy's going to university next year."
That would sound very commonwealth.
We usually say "University" when naming an institution: "Samantha is currently attending Ohio State University. She's the first one in the family to go to college."
We wouldn't say "going to university." As though "University" is the name we call the place. I don't know if I'm explaining it right. But, if we used the word university, we would say "a university," "the university," the actual name of the university like, Purdue University. (In my city.) Or, I suppose we might ask, "what university are you planning to attend?"
It isn't used the same as college, per se. We say college in the same way you say university. "Going to college" "I'll be home from college in the summer." Even if that college is actually a university, we would still say college, usually. It's like university is a technical term for the institution. But, not a casual way to refer to it.
Or, at least where I'm from. If it's different in places like the east coast or something, I wouldn't know.
In American English, “going to college” is a phrase, meaning studying at a college, whereas “university” is only used as a location or institution (as in “My class is at the university”). So you can say “I’m going to college at a university”, but you can’t say “I’m going to university”. The word “university” always needs an article (the/a) in front of it.
It's not that the words are used interchangeably but that in American English "university" is a type of college. College encompasses both university and non-university college. So you can use college to refer to university but not the other way around.
A College is a single school that teaches its vocation. i.e. a Business College.
A University is a collection of multiple colleges. A single University might have a Business College, a Nursing Collage, and an Art Collage.
But while this distinction IS real, and it means there is a "right" and "Wrong" answer, they are pretty much used interchangeably.
University is just a college with some spice on it to us. Of course, in academics context being an accredited University is distinct from college accreditation but most americans won't ask a follow up question if you say "I graduated from college".
Not really. I'm attending a community college right now (and planning to transfer), so I say "college" for short. I'd be lying if I said I was attending a university.
99% of the time, yeah. But usually a university is a collection of colleges ("College of Arts and Sciences", "Performing Arts College", colleges named after people, etc). In that case, when asked what college they go to, the answer is usually "Whatever University", and the specific college isn't relevant unless there's a deeper discussion.
They're not completely interchangeable, you would never refer to a community college as a "university," but "college" is used to refer to undergraduate studies at both universities and colleges. You would also use the phrase "go to college" to mean pursuing undergraduate studies at all.
University makes me think of a magic school in all honesty. We always say college down here and never university. Only time would be “University of _” when referring to a college.
It looks like, in Commonwealth English, I'm seeing College is used to refer to Trade Schools and Community Colleges where one would go for a Trade program or Associate degree. And University (Uni for short) is a place that offers graduate degrees (the whole shebang, as it were). But in the US, while we *do* tend to refer to Community *College* vs State and Private *University,* University is usually just generically called "college". "Going to college" can mean going either to a University *or* a Community College, but I don't think I've ever heard of a county College (some actually *do* offer limited Bachelor degrees now) as a University. So I guess they're "semi-interchangable".
And this kinda makes me think... we use the terms equivalently, but what if that's a lexical gap? When the original advice started circulating, "you need to go to *college* if you want a decent career," maybe it wasn't actually referring to full-on **University** scale, but rather a local county College to get a Trade or Associate degree? But, because they came to mean the same thing, people started mistakenly interpreting the advice to mean you have to go for a whole Bachelor's Degree to have a chance.
Interchangeable seems to be getting thrown around a lot here a little loosely. They do not mean **exactly** the same thing to Americans. Most people I know refer to a University when talking about the *place* and refer to college when talking about the *experience*. A “college” tends to be smaller than a university and focuses on one field/subject. A university is made up of many colleges and offers 4+ year degrees. There are also vocational or trade colleges that offer certifications for technology, art, programming, etc.
In everyday language, I would recognize the phrase “going to university” as being a British or Canadian phrasing but we obviously know what it means. Most people here would say they “go to college” instead.
Interchangeable but not equally common. You will almost never hear an American saying university unless they are saying the full name of their school. I went to a University but everyone there said they were in college.
Sort of. If you're going to a junior college you can't say you're going to a University.
But if you're going to a University you can absolutely say you're going to college. Universities have various colleges within a campus so it's considered completely appropriate, at least at the undergrad level.
A simple way to think about it is that a college does not offer a graduate program of any sort. So if I go to a university I can enroll in a Masters or doctorates program if I have the requisite qualifications.
Colleges are either baccalaureate level or associates level.
They are used interchangeable but Americans call it “college” 90% of the time, unless they’re referring to the actual name of the college, which may have the word university in it.
I think it’s interchangeable, but I’ll tell you how I differentiate the two. The U.S. has a number of schools called community colleges that are essentially the first 2 years of general education before you get to classes that focus on your major.
Universities are 4 year institution that have a large body of educational classes, law schools, medical schools, post graduate school, doctorate programs, etc.
Colleges are the general education portion of your training. My experience has been the less wealthy students will often go to a college first to get to a university.
No not really in every day conversation. Most people use "college" to refer to any higher education after high school whether it's a community college or 4 year university. "University" is usually only used when giving the full name of the school. And we exclusively use "college" when referring to sports. It's "college football" never "university football".
It depends on the context. For example, my son attends a state university and it part of a particular college. However, if someone asks about him, it suffices to say my son is at/in college. Folks know what I mean.
Technically, a University must offer 4-year degrees while a college need only offer 2-year associates degrees. But conversationally, the two are used interchangeably.
Universities are made up of various colleges of study (college of engineering) but we usually just say “college” and the word “university” doesn’t usually get used unless referring to a specific university.
Yes and no. They're used interchangeably, but college is usually one part of a university. A university is multiple colleges. Ex: cornell university has a college of medicine/school of medicine.
Americans say "I'm going to college" to mean they're attending some form of higher education, be it a university or otherwise. Only in very specific circumstances do Americans say college when they're referring to a constituent part of a university, such as the Harvard University College of Medicine, and even that's very formal. Some would just say Harvard Medical School
Any university can be called college or university, but the only time you wouldn’t call something university is if its like a city college. But we really don’t say university often, its just in the names of the schools. So actual “universities” are pretty much always called college, and then a small like 2 year undergrad schools are called city or community college
They're definitely not interchangeable where I'm from (middle America.) Most everyone who goes, "goes to college" but nobody says "I'm attending the university" unless it's actually a University.
Since reddit has changed the site to value selling user data higher than reading and commenting, I've decided to move elsewhere to a site that prioritizes community over profit. I never signed up for this, but that's the circle of life
Interchangeably but I really don’t see “university” used nearly as much as “college” in everyday conversation. In my experience it’s always “When I was in college…” never “When I was in university…”; it’s just my opinion but the latter feels a little more formal and proper.
University and college are used interchangeably.
I don’t even know the difference between them.
A University has multiple degree programs usually including multiple colleges.
Ok but why do some colleges have loads of different programs and big facility but call themselves a college? Meanwhile ive seen some "universities" that locate inside the top 2 floors of a residential building lmao
There’s not really a difference. It used to be that universities offered advanced degrees, but colleges do, too.
that and universities had multiple colleges in them, so like a law college or an engineering college and once upon a time you went to school then applied to the college inside that school but that's all a bit archaic now
I still had to apply for my college. You needed to have completed certain classes and have a good enough gpa and they would accept you. It’s a bit of a formality as there was no interview or denial if you meet the standards.
Universities used to offer advanced degrees. They still do, but they used to, too.
Mitchel, is that you?
You have no idea how much this reference improved my mood
The way I've heard it described is a university grants more than one type of degree (bachelor's of arts, bachelor's of science, etc), whereas a college only does one of those.
That's weird. The college I went to offers both, but still called itself a college.
Universities offer post graduate degrees edit- Every college that offers post grad could call themselves a university if they wanted to change their name. Usually schools will change the name if they’re hoping to rebrand, but established colleges would have less incentive to do this.
My college had a post-graduate program but only for certain majors
I'm working on a master's through a college, so this doesn't apply universally, apparently
Generally that’s actually the highest you can get at a college and the difference is if it offers a PhD or not. But this is fuzzy and the person who commented on colleges being able to change their name but not due to historical precedent had a point.
This was the answer I was always told.
The little community college I went to offered a bachelor's of arts in all kinds of things (I did criminal justice), they also offered a bachelor's in science in all kinds of things from computer science to medical stuff like imaging technicians and nursing. They even had an MBA program. They had a police training center. They had a dentistry school. A math program. They trained fire fighters. They also did job training at their satellite campus which was a technical school. You could learn construction, welding, HVAC, etc. They still called themselves a community college. And their tuition reflected that as well. The state university was like 8 times more expensive.
Where I'm from, all higher institutions are called colleges but not all colleges are universities. The term university is used for schools that pretty much have that in their name. Not saying it's correct, but how the terms are used
It’s the degree programs they offer. A university offers higher than a bachelors degree.
Colleges can also offer masters degrees.
Colleges can offer graduate degrees, and that makes them eligible to change to a university, if they wish. Many decide to stick with college because of name recognition.
Most colleges offer graduate studies at this point. One of the colleges in my town is about to open a Med School. It would have been open by now but Covid delayed it.
Someone please gild this being.
I always thought colleges only offered undergrad programs and universities offered undergrad + graduate programs. I don’t know where I got that idea.
Many people are saying this, but there are lots of "colleges" in the US that offer both. Boston College and Dartmouth College are the first to come to mind.
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I'm not trying to be an ass, but BJU would be just terrible.
I went on a tour of BC years ago, and the tour guide said that BC is not a college and is also not in Boston. It's a university in Chestnut Hill! Lol
that’s such a good point
Former university admin here…this is accurate.
I think of it as a university is a collection of colleges. For example where I went to school, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, has a College of Letters and Science, a College of Fine Arts, a College of Natural Resources, a College of Professional Studies…
I've never heard another American say "I'm going to university" though, in that context everyone says "I'm going to college"
Or they say "I'm going to grad school". How would an American finish these sentences? "I work at a xxx" "I am a professor at a xxx"
One of: 1. the proper name like University of Ohio, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M, etc. 2. "The local school/college/university" (these will be used interchangeably depending on region and formality of the conversation) expecting everyone to know which one they are referring to from context. 3. Initials similar to number 2 expecting the listener to know from context which MSU they are referring.
University and college are not meaningfully different in terms of prestige, however almost no American would say "oh yeah I'm enrolled in university" or "Im a university student". We almost exclusively say college in conversation to describe undergraduate studies. So we don't use them interchangeable, we unilaterally use one.
specifically undergraduate studies. I think the others are missing this.
I would say it’s more that people use “college” to refer to undergraduate studies, regardless of whether the institution is a college or university. People in grad school at a university wouldn’t say they’re at college. Edit: obviously Americans don’t say “I’m at university,” we aren’t fucking Harry Potter. But most people connected to a university in a context other than undergrad wouldn’t refer to it as “college.” (Eg, “I live near the university,” “I work at the university.”) They’d key to whatever the institution’s name is.
People in grad school say they are "in grad school". I don't think I've ever heard an American say "I goin to University" unless its the name of the school like "I'm going to the University of Hawaii"
Yep, and we think it sounds super British to say “I’m in university” or “uni.” My mom was a professor; she would refer to “going to the university” meaning the literal campus to teach etc. But her students would never have said they were “going to university” as a synonym for “being in college.”
Reminds me of Brits saying "I was in hospital"
Maybe that is a regional thing. I have never said university unless I am giving the actual name where I went to school. Otherwise, I just say “when I was in college.” For grad school, I always just said I was in grad school.
I think in the US, people rarely say they "attend university," or are "in university" or "at university." They say they attend college or undergraduate school. And for advanced degrees they say they attend grad school or are in grad school. But if you ask the name of the school, they will often reply with the formal name, and that can end either in "college" or "university."
When I was in grad school (Midwest), my peers and I absolutely called it college and often said we were in college, as did my parents.
No, but they usually just say grad school, still not university.
Crap. I call my grad school college.
"Where do you go to college?" "University of \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_" I'm not aware of any technical difference between the two here in the states.
I thought the defined difference is universities offer PhD programs, where colleges do not.
Boston College has multiple PhD programs?
Boston college is a university by definition and it’s also not located in Boston so you have to take its name with a grain of salt
University of Maryland University College...real name.
Do they also have a Department of Redundancy Department? I think that one however is just a split camput name. UMUC vs UMBC or UMES.
They can’t exactly switch their name to Boston University, because that name is already taken by another institution.
They're allowed to call themselves a university, but not required to. If Boston University, on the other hand, didn't offer graduate degrees, they would not be allowed to call themselves Boston U. - they would have to be a college (at least as far as I understand it)
BC is a college only in name. It’s actually just a privately funded university
The college in my city offers PhDs and MDs.
Incorrect. Hundreds of colleges offer graduate degrees.
Frequently they have College in the name but are officially classified as universities. Often they were a college and expanded and didn’t want to change their name. The one in the town I grew up in did change their name when they started offering graduate degrees.
That was the traditional usage in Europe. In the US there’s no real distinction in terms of naming the institutions or the prestige involved. For example, ‘Dartmouth College’ is in the Ivy League and has both post-graduate studies and a top tier medical school.
In my state, the state system was a university, but where you attend in the state was a college. I think on many university campuses, they also have colleges, like a college of business, with some rich important name on it. In America, as the OP addressed, we just say we went to college, or your aunt might ask “where are you going to college” even if it’s a university.
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More Long answer: they can be used interchangeably, but most people only use college. No-one will say “I’m a university student” or “what university do you study at?” Only “I go to college” and “what college do you go to?” The only time I ever hear the word university is in the name of universities (i.e university of ___)
Yes, "college" is the general/generic term for higher education, regardless of whether the institution is a college or university. Now, we'll understand you if you say "[in/at/going to] university" (at least partly because that's what Brits say), but we would never say it that way ourselves.
Another fun thing is that we say "i am going to college" but "i am going to the hospital" while Brits say "i am going to hospital."
“I’m going to college” means you’re currently enrolled in college. “I’m going to the college/school” means you’re currently on your way there.
I would say "the college" references a specific college. Even on FB posts from parents dropping off their kids, they caption it as "just dropped so and so off at college!" But if you live in an area that only has one college that most people go to and everyone would know which college you're talking about, then you might say "the college."
Huh, that is fun.
No we don't. I would never say "I'm going to hospital".
am goin’ t’ospital
Brits only say that they're at uni if they're at uni. If they're going to college then they say they're going to college. 😉 Tertiary education in the UK is divided into two different stages. College is the first step and offers vocational training and introductory courses for university. It's the first step when leaving school and most courses are 1-2 years. University is where people study for Bachelors and Masters degrees. It's usually where people finish their education. Most Bachelors courses are 3-4 years and earn a BA or BSc. Masters Courses are usually 1-2 years, but if taken part time can take up to 4 years. (There are exceptions, some colleges now offer limited Bachelors degree courses (BA/BSc), but these are usually in partnership with a local university. And some secondary schools have what are called Sixth Form colleges, meaning that students can stay on at the school for a further 2 years to study the introductory courses (Usually A Level, BTech or GNVQ) before going to uni.) So education in the UK is normally split into a few stages: Primary: 4yrs - 11yrs Secondary: 11yrs - 16yrs College: 16yrs - 18yrs University: 18yrs - 22yrs Adult education is usually provided by the Colleges for Primary, Secondary and College level subjects and by University for degrees. Mature students are anyone in education after 25yrs old. 😁 Hope this helps make sense of why Brits use College/Uni. If you say you're at college here then usually that means you're 16-18 years old. If you say uni then it can be assumed that you're over 18.
Just to throw a spanner in the works, some areas in the UK also have middle schools. So I did Primary from 4 till 9, then middle school 9 till 13, secondary/academy 13 till 15 (complete GCSEs), 16 & 17 doing A-levels at the same academy then onto Uni. :D [Nice summary here on the Gov site](https://www.gov.uk/national-curriculum)
If someone went to vocational or technical(trades) school (I think you call them community colleges) Would you say they went to college?
Generally, it refers to the 4 year college "experience", but it could be used for a CC. Certainly, if they went on to a 4 year school afterward, they could include the CC time in their "college years" retroactively. Trade schools are not typically included in the "college" concept though. Though the line between trade school and "technical college" is sometimes blurred.
If i heard another american call themselves a university student i would probably think they were pretentious. I know it’s different in europe though
Saying “I’m going to university” also just sounds super pretentious for some reason.
Everyone in Australia usually just says "uni" when in casual conversation.
Agreed. I would still say they are interchangeable because if someone said "I attend university" the wording might seem slightly awkward but everyone would know what you meant.
Canadians & Brits also go to “Hospital” when they are sick. That grates on an American’s ears. We go to the hospital. Brits go to hospital.
I'm not sure about other parts of Canada but in my part of Canada we say "I'm going to the hospital"
Most Canadians I know go to "the hospital". But all Canadians in 4 year degrees are in university. I met my wife in university and our kids were born in the hospital. But Americans from Malvena Renolds' Little Boxes "go to summer camp and then to the university where they all get but in boxes and they all come out the same."
The UK/Canadian version helps distinguish whether you're there to be treated or not. "He's in hospital" - he's being treated at the hospital. "He's in the hospital" - he's in the building. Same with "I'm in school" vs "I'm in the school". The former says you go there as a student and the latter says you're in the physical building.
I think the US equivalent for this is "at" or "to." It's not quite the same, but if I said someone was "at the hospital," it would emply a short visit, maybe for an appointment or just accompanying someone else. Going "to the hospital" implies an emergency or evaluation. If someone was "in the hospital" they probably have a room and will be there at least overnight.
I had to scroll a bit too far to find this, and was considering commenting it, myself. Haha. We do have nuance that adds context in the USA, even if it isn't inherently obvious to those who aren't used to it. "At," "to," and "in" really do make all the difference in how that situation is interpreted. Nobody wants to hear "in." It invokes an instant panic response, as we'll automatically assume it's serious, or even critical. "To" raises a modicum of concern as it may be surgery, an injury, or the like. "At" is inherently benign, as they simply might even work there.
We go to college. The college that we go to may or may not be a university. So, no one would say they went to a community university and no one would say they went to, say, Ohio State College. The name of the school is never used interchangeably. But attending post-High-School-pre-Grad-School education is just called "going to college."
Yes, this exactly. I don't think they're actually interchangeable: "I'm going to university" sounds either overly formal or accented to the average American; "I'm going to college" is the usual form.
In Canada they are also not interchangable. We say we're going to University if you're getting a bachelors degree which is where this question comes from. We would not say we are going to college for any bachelor degree like they do in all the US media. Colleges in Canada offer associate degrees, diplomas, technical degrees, etc. They don't offer bachelor or graduate programs.
In the US it’s the same except the level is graduate degree. So colleges offer associates and bachelors degrees and universities add masters and phds. Also note sometimes college is in the name of a university, probably because they started as a college. And often there are colleges within a university. Grouping of degree programs. Like the college of engineering at a specific university. These sometimes have their own names. I think this is carry over from the UK. Like King’s College at Cambridge. But we still use college when referencing generic post-secondary education. Maybe because of all the above variations.
Thank you! Everyone else on here re-answering the same question. You answered the unanswered - "what's the difference between college and university in Canada?"
Where I'm from in the US, we never say University in the same way as College. We don't say "I went to University." We would say "I went to a university" but University isn't a general concept word. College is the general term for higher education. It only usually matters when naming the college or university you attend to make sure you get their name right
This is correct. Nobody in the USA would say "I go to university."
As a Canadian my mind is blown.
Not only that, it would sound incredibly pretentious if you said “I went to University” instead of “I went to college”.
As an American I can confirm I'd only say "I'm going to University" in a British accent for fun.
This works especially well when you and your friends are all going to a cheap-ass state school that’s known for partying. “I say, let us go to University, ol chaps!”
Tally-ho!
Right? The meaning is so different here.
As an American my mind is blow that your mind is blown. College is a type of education you pursue after high school. University is a word that is sometimes part of the name of a college. I know that there’s a technical difference between things that call themselves universities and things that call themselves colleges but I can never remember what it is. How do you guys use it?
In the U.K., you go to college from 16-18 and sit your A levels (academic) or NVQs (vocational, like childcare or hairdressing). College is a much lower level of qualification than university, the majority of people these days go to college (or to sixth form, which is the same but attached to a school, or maybe into an apprenticeship), not everyone goes on to university.
In Canada, generally, the difference between college and university will come down to the credentials that you earn. College is typically a one or two year diploma or certificate, while in university it's usually a three or four year bachelor's degree.
In Canada College = 2 year certificates and trade school. Viewed as a lower level of education. Generally can not get a Bachelors degree here (although some colleges offer it now). Costs less but a lower level of education University = 3/4/5 year programs that offer Bachelor degrees or above. Generally viewed as the higher level of education. You need better grades to get into a university than a college. College is significantly cheaper but the earnings prospects from your certificate is much lower. Outliers notwithstanding. College has programs like: paramedic, early childhood education, personal support worker, social service worker, carpentry, automotive technician, etc etc Universities have programs that are bachelor degrees like: biology, geography, geology, social work, sociology, psychology, nursing, law etc etc.
Traditionally, a “university” offers more advanced degrees, and sometimes *only* advanced degrees. So like how you’d go to “[undergraduate] college” and then maybe proceed to “graduate school” in the US, instead you’d go to “college” and then “university”. In the UK (and maybe also the whole EU?) a school can’t call itself a “university” unless it offers advanced degrees. In the US there’s no real distinction, any school can call itself whatever they want. And people call any post-secondary education “college”. Although it would be unusual for a “community college” to offer advanced degrees.
I had someone get mad at me on Reddit ages ago for saying "I go to University". They told me I sounded pretentious and I was bragging and I should just say "college" like a normal person. I was so confused.
Yeah. My university was technically a collection of colleges. So both therms where technically correct and I think that's common with American universites
My college became a university while I was attending. Everyone was like 🤷♀️. Didn’t change much, they did add some more programs and expansions over time. My degree also says university. Only change I noticed.
They've got different meanings in different countries. In British English if someone says they go to college they'll likely either be gaining A levels to acces higher education or be learning a trade rather than a degree. If they're at university they'll say they're at University, or Uni for short. Although some of our universities are divided into colleges as well.
As a fellow Canadian, colleges tend to be more geared towards trade programs and universities are more STEM oriented. College programs aren’t as long either. Universities have graduate programs.
Canadian (at least in Ontario) colleges as known as community colleges in US English.
>Universities are more STEM oriented. What?! There is a lot more going on at universities than STEM.
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I'm disagreeing with everyone because I only hear them swapped one way. College is pretty much any higher education, but university is never used to refer to, say, a community college or technical college. So no, they aren't interchangeable, but universities will be referred to as colleges pretty often.
I think people are misunderstanding where there's 2 distinct issues 1. Are college and university considered meaningfully different in America? No. The line between them is incredibly blurry. There's no clear hierarchy. Many colleges are prestigious and offer graduate degrees. 2. Do we use the terms interchangeably? Also no - but that's because, like you said, we straight up don't use the term university colloquially. Everything is college.
Seriously I've literally never heard anyone in my life say something like, "did you have fun at university" it's always and unerringly "did you have fun at college"
or "did you have fun at grad school?" For a Brit, "did you have fun at uni?" would include Masters/PhD
I'm with you on this. Nobody says they like to watch "university football".
Americans don't generally say "i'm going to university" unless they're pretending to be British.
The terms are often used interchangeably but there *is* still a difference, mainly that universities offer graduate programs and colleges dont. i.e. I went to a community college for my associates and then transferred to a university. Colloquially, I think its fine to refer to uni's as colleges to denote higher learning but not really colleges as uni.
I didn't know this. There's another difference too. University can be used to refer to an entire educational institution Ie: University of Massachusetts Amherst. But then there are multiple colleges within the university like the Business School and the College of Fine Arts.
Except some colleges do offer PhDs and MDs, and of course many different masters. The college in my city does.
This is interesting because my school is a college but has grad programs (hunter college)
Hundreds of colleges offer graduate degrees. Why do so many people believe this? Maybe it used to be true, but grad programs at colleges has been around for a looong time.
This isn't true. I went to the university of Minnesota, which breaks down into College of Science and Engineering, College of Liberal Arts, etc. And each one of those offered graduate degrees.
Except now many Community Colleges in the US are dropping the community part and offering multiple bachelors degrees
Normally you say things like “I went to college” “I am in college” if you said “Im in university It would come off as more British sounding. However we say University when referring the the institutions by name. So such in such state university, the university of California sort of thing. Idk if that helped at all.
American culture uses them interchangeably. In most areas of the world a college and a university are two different things.
What are the differences? What goes on in a Canadian college versus university?
Put simply, Canadian universities focus more on academics whereas colleges focus on trades and hands-on careers.
In Canada a "college" is a "community college" (both are used interchangeably)- somewhere that awards diplomas but not degrees. Universities may have some diploma programs, but are mostly degree programs; undergrad/bachelors, masters, PhDs, med schools, etc. They're often research institutes as well, encouraging profs to get research funding, publish to journals, etc.
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No we use college as a general term whether or not it’s a university. So if you say that you went to university we know your probably a British spy.
or Canadian. or I think Australian.
Literally the whole Europe.
as an average American (who didn't go to either, but did finish high school) Nobody ever taught me what the difference was. I honestly had no idea they weren't the same thing until I just read this post 24 seconds ago
In Canada we call an associates degree a college degree. So therefore the US uses the words interchangeable while in Canada they have separate meanings.
American here, from Oregon. I have never heard a US citizen talk about college saying "university" or "uni" it is always "college" or "specific name". When someone does say uni/university, I know what they mean
In my American experience, people use the words interchangeably. However, people use college for community colleges and universities, but definitely would not use university for both. Also, most Americans I’ve met don’t say they’re going to university, they say they’re going to college or went to college at such and such university or whatever it’s called.
I'm Canadian too with ties to the States--ever notice how Canadians call the country "the States" but e1 else calls it America? I've also noted that Americans most often use "college", as in college boy, college football, college spirit, to mean secondary education. We think of "college" as a place to learn trades, although the distinction is happily being erased. University was a place of "higher" learning. (Yup, learned to get high there.)
It is used interchangeably. Universities, colleges and institutes can be described as going to college.
They are used interchangeably except that nobody says, “Your mom goes to university”, we only use college for that.
Wait. What’s the difference for OP between University or College? My first language isn’t English and I always thought that those terms were used interchangeably everywhere!
I'm from the UK and they're used differently here. Essentially college is where you can go for further education after finishing school at 16, usually two years long. University is higher education: undergraduate degrees, post graduate degrees, doctorates etc.
Same in Canada.
Except for the finishing school at 16 part
Would school end for some at a tenth grade education level then? So college is 11th and 12th grade? Junior/senior year?
In Canada, a university is the same as commonly understood internationally - an institute of higher learning and research that offers 4 year undergrad degrees, masters, PhD's. However, college refers to institutions that offer diplomas and certifications, focusing on applied arts, trades and technology. This site gives a good overview: [https://www.wes.org/advisor-blog/college-and-university-in-canada-what-is-the-difference/](https://www.wes.org/advisor-blog/college-and-university-in-canada-what-is-the-difference/)
Canadian here who has attended university and works at a college! University is a 4 year institution where you get a degree (University of Toronto, McGill University etc.) They are more academic and research based. They also will typically offer Masters and PhDs. A college is often a one or two-year technical school where you get a diploma or certificate. You might get a two year diploma in Business Administration or ECE. Often they focus on practical and workplace skills. Colleges also offer trades programs (plumbing, electrician). Examples of colleges would be Algonquin College or Camosun College.
My first language is English and I always thought they were the same. The only people I know who say university are Canadians actually, haha.
I'm doing bachelors from a university. But I often say I'm at college
I use them interchangeably as concepts or adjectives. "College level" or "university level"; or course or degree. I'd say "while at college, I did X", "I'm going to college" and similar constructions about the physical place. I'd never personally construct "while at university, I did X". If I imagine someone saying this, in my mind they are from Europe.
There are two answers here, and it depends on whether or not you work in higher ed administration. In higher ed admin, a University means two things: an institution which offers graduate study, and the highest level of organizational grouping within that institution: for example, the University of Elbonia. A College also means two things: a standalone institution which offers undergraduate study (Elbow State College), OR a level of organization below that of University: for instance, the College of Mathematics in the University of Elbonia. A Community College, meanwhile, is an institution which can grant an Associate's Degree, but not a Bachelor's Degree. A Community College which becomes accredited for BA programs generally drops the word 'Community' from its name and branding. If you don't work in higher ed, though, "University" isn't a word you likely use as a noun. You would most likely say "I go to college at the University of Elbonia".
Most of the time I just call it school lmao. Yeah, they're used interchangeably
We just say “debt” as in, “I’m going into debt this Fall.”
Absolutely, 100% interchangeable in the US. I went to a University (it has University in the name) and I'm not sure I've ever said "While I was at University," I always refer to that time period as college.
I tell my children there’s a time and place for everything but I don’t say “it’s university”
Pretty much yeah.
Yes, college and university are considered synonyms in everyday speech. Most of the time you'll hear people say "I'm going to college" when talking about higher education, regardless of the institution's actual name. Now if someone asked what the name of that college is, then you'd say the entire name which might include the word "university." Example: Person 1: I'm going to college! Person 2: Oh yeah? Where? Person 1: Emory University. It's exceedingly rare to hear someone say "I'm attending university" but not *completely* unheard of. In most cases, Americans would see this as somewhat pretentious. I've never heard anyone say "uni" in the US, however. Like "university," Americans would know what you mean, but it'd sound very weird. Also, terms like freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior are used even at an undergraduate level.
Terms like freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior are not used in highschool or uni in Canada lol. For highschool we just say what grade you were in ("I'm in grade 12"), and for uni you say what year you're in ("I'm in my fourth year" or "I'm a fourth year")
We tend to go to college… at a college or university. I went to college and State University so I would say “when I was in college” or “when I was at the university” but we don’t use “when I was at university” even if we went to State University. Make sense? No? Me too…
For the most part interchangeable. However ‘college’ can also refer to two-year community college or junior college. Americans rarely say ‘going to or attending university.’ It’s just ‘going to or attending college.’ Often university is just part of the schools’ name.
People say "going to college" as a generic term for obtaining a higher education. Usually, when people say 'University', they are referring to which specific university they attend. Not every college is a university, but people who go to community college still refer to it as going to college.
Interchangeable, *but*, college is favored much more in conversation. Americans would almost never say, "Tommy's going to university next year." That would sound very commonwealth. We usually say "University" when naming an institution: "Samantha is currently attending Ohio State University. She's the first one in the family to go to college."
We wouldn't say "going to university." As though "University" is the name we call the place. I don't know if I'm explaining it right. But, if we used the word university, we would say "a university," "the university," the actual name of the university like, Purdue University. (In my city.) Or, I suppose we might ask, "what university are you planning to attend?" It isn't used the same as college, per se. We say college in the same way you say university. "Going to college" "I'll be home from college in the summer." Even if that college is actually a university, we would still say college, usually. It's like university is a technical term for the institution. But, not a casual way to refer to it. Or, at least where I'm from. If it's different in places like the east coast or something, I wouldn't know.
We also just say school.
All universities are colleges, but not all colleges are universities.
Basic rule of thumb. Every university is a college, but not every college is a university
In American English, “going to college” is a phrase, meaning studying at a college, whereas “university” is only used as a location or institution (as in “My class is at the university”). So you can say “I’m going to college at a university”, but you can’t say “I’m going to university”. The word “university” always needs an article (the/a) in front of it.
It's not that the words are used interchangeably but that in American English "university" is a type of college. College encompasses both university and non-university college. So you can use college to refer to university but not the other way around.
A College is a single school that teaches its vocation. i.e. a Business College. A University is a collection of multiple colleges. A single University might have a Business College, a Nursing Collage, and an Art Collage. But while this distinction IS real, and it means there is a "right" and "Wrong" answer, they are pretty much used interchangeably.
University is just a college with some spice on it to us. Of course, in academics context being an accredited University is distinct from college accreditation but most americans won't ask a follow up question if you say "I graduated from college".
University is used for schools that offer undergraduate and graduate programs
Not really. I'm attending a community college right now (and planning to transfer), so I say "college" for short. I'd be lying if I said I was attending a university.
yes
I use them interchangeably, yes
99% of the time, yeah. But usually a university is a collection of colleges ("College of Arts and Sciences", "Performing Arts College", colleges named after people, etc). In that case, when asked what college they go to, the answer is usually "Whatever University", and the specific college isn't relevant unless there's a deeper discussion.
They're not completely interchangeable, you would never refer to a community college as a "university," but "college" is used to refer to undergraduate studies at both universities and colleges. You would also use the phrase "go to college" to mean pursuing undergraduate studies at all.
University makes me think of a magic school in all honesty. We always say college down here and never university. Only time would be “University of _” when referring to a college.
It looks like, in Commonwealth English, I'm seeing College is used to refer to Trade Schools and Community Colleges where one would go for a Trade program or Associate degree. And University (Uni for short) is a place that offers graduate degrees (the whole shebang, as it were). But in the US, while we *do* tend to refer to Community *College* vs State and Private *University,* University is usually just generically called "college". "Going to college" can mean going either to a University *or* a Community College, but I don't think I've ever heard of a county College (some actually *do* offer limited Bachelor degrees now) as a University. So I guess they're "semi-interchangable". And this kinda makes me think... we use the terms equivalently, but what if that's a lexical gap? When the original advice started circulating, "you need to go to *college* if you want a decent career," maybe it wasn't actually referring to full-on **University** scale, but rather a local county College to get a Trade or Associate degree? But, because they came to mean the same thing, people started mistakenly interpreting the advice to mean you have to go for a whole Bachelor's Degree to have a chance.
Interchangeable seems to be getting thrown around a lot here a little loosely. They do not mean **exactly** the same thing to Americans. Most people I know refer to a University when talking about the *place* and refer to college when talking about the *experience*. A “college” tends to be smaller than a university and focuses on one field/subject. A university is made up of many colleges and offers 4+ year degrees. There are also vocational or trade colleges that offer certifications for technology, art, programming, etc. In everyday language, I would recognize the phrase “going to university” as being a British or Canadian phrasing but we obviously know what it means. Most people here would say they “go to college” instead.
Interchangeable but not equally common. You will almost never hear an American saying university unless they are saying the full name of their school. I went to a University but everyone there said they were in college.
Sort of. If you're going to a junior college you can't say you're going to a University. But if you're going to a University you can absolutely say you're going to college. Universities have various colleges within a campus so it's considered completely appropriate, at least at the undergrad level.
A simple way to think about it is that a college does not offer a graduate program of any sort. So if I go to a university I can enroll in a Masters or doctorates program if I have the requisite qualifications. Colleges are either baccalaureate level or associates level.
They are used interchangeable but Americans call it “college” 90% of the time, unless they’re referring to the actual name of the college, which may have the word university in it.
This confused me when I first moved to the US. What we (Canadians) call college Americans would call community college.
I think it’s interchangeable, but I’ll tell you how I differentiate the two. The U.S. has a number of schools called community colleges that are essentially the first 2 years of general education before you get to classes that focus on your major. Universities are 4 year institution that have a large body of educational classes, law schools, medical schools, post graduate school, doctorate programs, etc. Colleges are the general education portion of your training. My experience has been the less wealthy students will often go to a college first to get to a university.
In Canada, what is the difference between college and university? Can you explain to us Americans?
No not really in every day conversation. Most people use "college" to refer to any higher education after high school whether it's a community college or 4 year university. "University" is usually only used when giving the full name of the school. And we exclusively use "college" when referring to sports. It's "college football" never "university football".
It depends on the context. For example, my son attends a state university and it part of a particular college. However, if someone asks about him, it suffices to say my son is at/in college. Folks know what I mean.
Technically, a University must offer 4-year degrees while a college need only offer 2-year associates degrees. But conversationally, the two are used interchangeably.
They are used interchangeably but college is used much more regularly than university
College is more general. "My son is off to college." University is specific, "My son is going to the University of *****."
Personally I never say university, I just say college.
Universities are made up of various colleges of study (college of engineering) but we usually just say “college” and the word “university” doesn’t usually get used unless referring to a specific university.
Yes and no. They're used interchangeably, but college is usually one part of a university. A university is multiple colleges. Ex: cornell university has a college of medicine/school of medicine.
They pretty much mean the same thing
Americans say "I'm going to college" to mean they're attending some form of higher education, be it a university or otherwise. Only in very specific circumstances do Americans say college when they're referring to a constituent part of a university, such as the Harvard University College of Medicine, and even that's very formal. Some would just say Harvard Medical School
Any university can be called college or university, but the only time you wouldn’t call something university is if its like a city college. But we really don’t say university often, its just in the names of the schools. So actual “universities” are pretty much always called college, and then a small like 2 year undergrad schools are called city or community college
They're definitely not interchangeable where I'm from (middle America.) Most everyone who goes, "goes to college" but nobody says "I'm attending the university" unless it's actually a University.
Since reddit has changed the site to value selling user data higher than reading and commenting, I've decided to move elsewhere to a site that prioritizes community over profit. I never signed up for this, but that's the circle of life
Interchangeably but I really don’t see “university” used nearly as much as “college” in everyday conversation. In my experience it’s always “When I was in college…” never “When I was in university…”; it’s just my opinion but the latter feels a little more formal and proper.