College vs University [And Other Higher Education Institutions]

Sorting through higher education options can be like choosing from diverse menu offerings at a great restaurant. You can order fish or steak. What about chicken or shellfish? The salads look great. In the mood for pasta? And look at the choices within each food group. You have options—and each would be a fine meal.

The same is true of education. You know about colleges and universities. Add online universities, community colleges, and technical institutes into the mix. Season them all with regional identities. Fund some privately and others with money granted by their respective state legislatures. The resulting menu includes options for students with wide-ranging needs and interests. The key is to know the difference and make choices that represent a good fit for you so you can build your college list.

• Defining Terms: College, University, and Institution
• Defining Other Common Higher Education Terms
• Which higher education type is best for you?

Defining Higher Education Types: College, University, and Institution

It is common for people in the United States to use the generic term “college” for all places of higher education. You notice this when you are asked, “Which colleges are you applying to?” or “What do you want to study when you go to college?” One word seems to cover all. Ironically, that word, college, is synonymous with high school in many other cultures!

Conversely, the terms "university," "institute," and "institution" are more commonly used conversationally in many other parts of the world by students as they contemplate post-secondary education. 

Despite fundamental similarities—they offer four-year, bachelor-degree programs—the university and the college are very different institutions. The differences lie in their structure, organization, and priorities.

What classifies a university?

Universities are typically larger and always more complex institutions comprised of degree-granting entities at different levels of study:

• Four-year undergraduate
• Graduate
• Doctoral/professional degrees

Each level includes distinct colleges or programs defined by curricula specific to that college, i.e., College of Arts and Sciences (or General Studies), College of Business, College of Engineering, etc. It is important to note that the academic resources dedicated to each college are shared by the students at each level of study within it.

Some universities place great emphasis on, and are highly regarded for, advanced study and research. Their academic facilities are impressive and often include hospitals, policy institutes, and grant-supported research facilities. As you research universities, confirm that you will have access to the professors, facilities, and research opportunities for which the school is well-known. 

When you apply to a university, you need to identify the specific undergraduate college within it (and, sometimes, the major) in which you wish to study. A change in academic interests during your undergraduate years will likely result in the need to transfer from one college of the university to another.

What classifies a college?

By contrast, a college (independent of a university) offers a relatively simple institutional structure. It does not have multiple levels of study or divisions within its program of study. More importantly, all of its resources are devoted to undergraduate education. The liberal arts college is an example of such an institution. 

When you apply to a college that stands apart—it is an institution unto itself—you are less likely to have to commit to a particular academic program. Many liberal arts colleges will allow, if not urge you to remain undeclared concerning your major as you explore the curriculum through your first two years.

More Higher Education Institutional Types

The following are descriptions of additional types of non-profit institutions you might encounter as you learn more about your educational options.

State colleges and universities derive most of their operating support from the taxpayers of the states in which they are located. Their mission is to provide educational opportunities to students who reside within their states. Many states feature flagship universities along with networks of regional universities. Admission usually favors in-state applicants for whom fees are typically lower given the subsidies from the respective state governments. For out-of-state applicants, however, the probability of admission will be lower and fees will often be higher by a factor of at least two.

Public flagship universities are the principal state-supported universities within their respective states. “Land grant” universities established to serve as state centers for education and research, these institutions have benefitted from strong state support to become large and highly complex. Some public flagships offer set-apart honors programs for selected applicants that have many of the qualities often attributed to stand-alone colleges. Otherwise, undergraduate programs can be overshadowed by graduate programs at public flagships. 

Private institutions, both colleges and universities, are supported almost entirely by tuition, fees, interest from endowments, and gifts from individual and corporate donors. They are not bound by relationships with the legislatures in their respective states which gives them greater latitude in determining what the academic program and admission standards look like. Fees are often the same for in-state and out-of-state students.

Research universities, both public and private, are best known for the strength of their well-funded research programs. The popularity they enjoy, reflected in admission selectivity, is often associated more with the prestige of their research programs rather than anything extraordinary taking place in their undergraduate programs.

Technical institutes and specialty schools focus on training and the development of specific skills. Both public and private, these programs offer limited opportunities in areas of general studies, but in-depth instruction on certain skill sets.

Community and junior colleges are two-year programs that offer a range of curricula from liberal arts to certificate programs for specialty training. They are low-cost, highly accessible options for students who seek technical training or want to prepare for entry into four-year programs.

Defining Other Common Higher Education Terms

Academic Credits

Each of the institutions referenced above will convey some type of certification for the academic work completed. For example, when you have satisfactorily completed a course, you will be awarded a credit or, in some cases, credit hours reflective of the rigor or time commitment associated with the course. These credits become part of your formal academic record where they can accrue toward distribution requirements, academic concentrations, minors, majors, and, eventually, graduation or certificates of completion.

Many institutions grant academic credits to entering students based on proficiency in college-level work as demonstrated on Advanced Placement (AP) exams, International Baccalaureate exams, and college courses taken while in high school. That said, not all credits for college-level academic work will be automatically recognized by the receiving institution. You would be wise to seek a credit evaluation from the institution you are considering before assuming it will honor all the credits you have acquired.

Major

The major you choose will include a concentration of courses in a particular academic discipline plus related coursework that faculty within the department believe is essential to developing a mastery of the subject. It is not uncommon, for example, to find that major requirements reach outside of a given departmental offerings to include courses like Calculus and Research Methods. Some colleges will allow you to work with faculty advisors in assembling courses from multiple disciplines to create your major. Regardless, the number of courses associated with the major you choose will probably account for 40-50% of all courses taken by the time you graduate.

If you enter a liberal arts college or the general studies program at a university, you will likely be given time to explore different academic options before declaring a major at the end of your second year. If, on the other hand, you have rather well-defined academic interests from the outset, you might consider pursuing a minor (less intensive course requirements) or even a major in a second academic department within the same college. 

Electives

The coursework in which you engage outside of your intended major will involve electives, and courses within your college of study that you choose because of their interest to you. Many colleges will attempt to guide your selection of electives by articulating distribution requirements, with the thought being that exposure to certain disciplines outside of your major is essential to your overall educational experience.

Bachelor Degrees

The end game for most students is to achieve credentialing reflective of the academic work accomplished. At four-year colleges, the degree will be either a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Science, depending on the academic departments from which the preponderance of electives are taken. 

Associate Degrees

Students completing curricular requirements at two-year colleges will receive associate degrees, often with designated academic concentrations or certificates of completion.

Articulation Agreements

It is not uncommon for students to begin their college coursework at one institution, either a two-year or four-year college or university, with the intent to eventually complete four-year degree requirements at another. If this is a consideration for you, be sure to determine whether the beginning and ending institutions have articulation agreements in place. Such agreements assure the institution into which you want to transfer that it will recognize all of the coursework completed at the beginning institution. The presence of articulation agreements is also a good indication that the beginning institution will provide the necessary academic support to ensure you are taking the appropriate courses with transfer in mind.

Which higher education type is best for you?

The discussion about institutional type is relevant to your college search as you consider how your learning style is most meaningfully engaged. This isn’t a matter of good or bad. It’s simply an acknowledgment that institutions vary greatly in how they deliver the educational experience. Whereas universities tend to enroll more students and feature varied and diverse educational agendas, stand-alone colleges are invariably smaller (but larger than most high schools!) with educational agendas and support systems that focus exclusively on undergraduate education. The question, then, is which one will fit you best?

This article was originally published on January 7, 2020. It was updated on May 23, 2024 for accuracy and comprehensiveness.