Difference between College and University.

Anyone care to explain the difference? Many people want to get into a good college but I always thought that university was better. So now I'm confused.

I think there is various definitions, but generally it's that British english people say university, and US english people say college but both are reffering to the exact same thing.

You get 4-year degrees, master's and PhD's in universities. Colleges do not give out those kinds of degrees.

The whole system altogether is referred to as 'college'. "I'm in college", etc.

I attend a university, but I always refer to it as college. To me it's two words for the same exact thing.

Where I'm from, University usually has a notion of prestige and College is associated with dumber people.

I think in the USA, College and University can be used interchangeably.

The difference between the terms for other places is like community college vs a normal college in America, from my understanding. Both are for higher learning, though the former is generally thought less of than the latter.

I always thought of colleges as the divisions of schools and subjects within a University. Such as a college of Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Business, etc. While you apply for a University overall, in most cases you don't apply for a specific "college" but instead get put into the college at the University based on what you decide to major in.

[COLOR="Purple"]Where I live, nobody calls it "college", it's just called university. Although I assume they mean the exact same thing...
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I always thought of colleges as the divisions of schools and subjects within a University. Such as a college of Arts and Sciences, Engineering, Business, etc. While you apply for a University overall, in most cases you don't apply for a specific "college" but instead get put into the college at the University based on what you decide to major in.

We call the divisions "faculties". eg: Faculty of Business, Education & Law,, Faculty of English, Media Studies and Arts History, etc etc.

So if they're the same, why different names? Anything different besides getting a degree?

Where I live, College is for people who...

A. Are not smart enough to get into University
B. Cannot afford to go to University (college is cheaper)
C. Want to do something not as mainstream/more practical

Then again, it depends on the area. Some Colleges here are better than some Universities in more obscure areas. Ex. Langara College is better than University of British Columbia Okanagan.

Also, some colleges here are called Polytechnical Universities...to my knowledge, it just means its better than college, but not as good as university.

Edit: As for the "divisions" within a school, we call those faculties here.

In Canada, at least up in Quebec, my girlfriend said you have to go to college for 2 years (required), then advance to University if you wish (total = 4 years+).

In the US, we all know that's not the case, as only High School is mandatory.. and college / university is technically the 'same'. Except universities are well-known, there isn't a well-known college imo?

Ex:

Penn State University
Robert Morris University
University of Pittsburgh <---- Planning on attending there the upcoming year to continue my education in Computer Information Systems, actually...

Where I live, College is for people who...

A. Are not smart enough to get into University

Not necessarily true where I am. College can be a stepping stone into a uni. For instance, after high school, many people can't afford to go to a uni so they take a few years off from school, and go to work. From there, people can enroll in a community college and transfer over to a uni. It could be financial problem, family problems, they could be burned out after high school, so it's not always that people are not as smart.

Not necessarily true where I am. College can be a stepping stone into a uni. For instance, after high school, many people can't afford to go to a uni so they take a few years off from school, and go to work. From there, people can enroll in a community college and transfer over to a uni. It could be financial problem, family problems, they could be burned out after high school, so it's not always that people are not as smart.

Hell if the credits all transfer over its a lot of wasted money to start off in a university right away, if you're not in a massive rush its a lot more beneficial to go for your Associate's then move up to a 4 year, or just take a semester or two of credit courses at a local college then move up.


Edit: Depending on your program and the programs of your local Colleges/Universities anyway, but its almost always worth looking in to just to know if you could save a few thousand dollars.

Hell if the credits all transfer over its a lot of wasted money to start off in a university right away, if you're not in a massive rush its a lot more beneficial to go for your Associate's then move up to a 4 year, or just take a semester or two of credit courses at a local college then move up.


Edit: Depending on your program and the programs of your local Colleges/Universities anyway, but its almost always worth looking in to just to know if you could save a few thousand dollars.

It's harder to transfer into a University than to simply just apply during senior year of high school though. You might not get into the school you want to go if you go for an associates first xP

It's harder to transfer into a University than to simply just apply during senior year of high school though. You might not get into the school you want to go if you go for an associates first xP

It depends on the programs available and the agreement(s) the college has with the university. For such cases, there are guaranteed acceptance if you meet the requirement the university requires of you while you're in a community college (like 3.00 gpa, have certain units in certain areas of studies, etc. )

When it's just talking, then they both mean the same thing.
If you're talking about a specific college/university, then it just means what is at the college.
Ex. The University of Utah provides more courses, and a wider variety of courses than Utah Valley State College
I'm not sure how it works, but Universities offer more courses than (State) Colleges.

But, I'm pretty sure that your reference is the same thing.

Not necessarily true where I am. College can be a stepping stone into a uni. For instance, after high school, many people can't afford to go to a uni so they take a few years off from school, and go to work. From there, people can enroll in a community college and transfer over to a uni. It could be financial problem, family problems, they could be burned out after high school, so it's not always that people are not as smart.

When I made that list, I meant it to be an either/and/or thing, meaning that it's not that everyone who doesnt go into University isnt smart enough to get in, but rather that they couldnt pay for it/found a more financially reasonable way, etc.

I dont know how everywhere else works, but in my social circles (both mine and my parents), kids who're in University are given higher regard compared to those that are/in college, to the extent that I know some people who have to put up with constant lectures about not being in University.

I dont know how it works in other places (and it probably doesnt work the same), hence why I said "Where I live", which is the case as people who go to College are considered a "tier" lower than those at University in terms of the quality of education they're getting.

Where I live, College is for people who...

A. Are not smart enough to get into University
B. Cannot afford to go to University (college is cheaper)
C. Want to do something not as mainstream/more practical

This also applies to where I live (ON, Can). It really depends on where you live.

Wikipedia - The precise usage of the term varies among the English-speaking countries. In the United States, for example, the terms 'college' and 'university' may be regarded as loosely interchangeable, whereas in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia, a 'college' is usually an institution between school and university level (although constituent schools within universities are also known as 'colleges').

[COLOR="Purple"]I find it so weird how the same word/s have different meaning in different countries.

For me...
University = Place you go to for tertiary studies (Bachelors, Diplomas, etc)
College = lolnothing
TAFE = what you guys seem to be referring to as "college". They do degrees in more courses things, like hairdressing, horticulture, etc.[/COLOR]

They are pretty much the same, except at universities, your usually taught by TAs 85%+ of the time.