In the United States, people often the words "college" and "university" interchangeably when referring to undergraduate study at a post-secondary institution. "Where are you going to college next year?" might be question a graduating high school student asks her friend. "Oh, I'm going to the University of Illinois" might be the response.
This is, however, an important difference between colleges and universities. Colleges offer undergraduate coursework and degrees; universities offer graduate coursework and degrees.
Harvard University, for example, is comprised of several schools that include the School of Design, the School of Government, the School of Business, and Harvard College. The first three offer graduate coursework, while the last - the college - is an undergraduate school. At the graduate schools, you might earn an M.A. (Master's of Arts) or Ph.D. (Doctorate of Philosophy), while at Harvard College, you would earn a B.A. (Bachelor's of Arts) Degree after several years of study, usually four.
Colleges also exist outside of universities in the United State, and and be divided into two-year community or junior colleges, and four year colleges that grant B.A. Degrees. Community colleges - or junior colleges, as they are sometimes called - offer vocational (technical) and academic coursework that can lead to an Associate Degree. A vocational track at a community college, for example, could lead to an Associate Degree in Automotive Maintenance, while an academic track could lead to an Associate Degree in Health Science Technology.
The academic track at a community college can also be preparation for a four-year year B.A. at a four-year college or university. Through the 2+2 system, students in the United States can often transfer their credits from community college (after two years) to a four-year college or university and complete their Bachelor of Arts Degree. This is an affordable alternative for many students, since the cost of tuition at a community college is generally much lower than at a four-year college or university. Learn more.
In the United States there are also four-year colleges not affiliated with a university that grant B.A. Degrees. This is an important difference the organization of higher education in Canada and the United States. There are number of such colleges across the United States that emphasize a liberal arts education, the undergraduate student experience, and have small student enrollments - usually less than 5,000 students and often less then 2,000. They have few or no graduate programs. Learn more about these liberal arts colleges.
To summarize, U.S. colleges normally offer undergraduate degrees, while universities offer graduate degrees. As you apply to study in the United States, keep in the difference in mind between colleges and universities, and the difference between different types of colleges in the United States. Keep these differences in mind and you will end up at the right "college" or "university" for you.
Still curious? Read more about U.S. higher education on our website.
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| Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina, encompasses several graduate schools and the undergraduate Trinity College of Liberal Arts and Science. |
