Until recently I assume they were synonymous 😅, Here you go to Uni immediatly after finishing HS.

  • In the US, they’re the same. In most countries, a university is a collection of colleges (although most people don’t know that).

    In countries where universities and colleges are considered separate entities (i.e. most countries), universities are still considered more prestigious, although it’s much easier to get a BS/no job degree from an university than a college

    • In the US, a University is usually a collection of colleges. Each college has a somewhat independent structure from other colleges within the University, and each is led by its own Dean. Each college has different requirements of entry and provide rules for what it takes to get a degree from that college. But ultimately, you get a degree from something like “The University of Whatever, College of Engineering”. All the colleges have some certain amount of oversight and guidelines set up by the overall institution.

    • In the US, they’re the same.

      Are you sure?

      I’ve always thought of universities as educational institutions funded (in part) by the state. So, tuition for “The University of Colorado” is partially subsided by the taxes people pay to the state of Colorado.

      Colleges are not funded by the state, therefore have a higher tuition than universities.

      At least that’s the theory. However, both universities and colleges have become so profit focused, I don’t know how much cheaper universities are now-a-days.

      I’d also argue that a university in the U.S. is more prestigious than many colleges (the exception being Ivy league schools), because universities being cheaper means a high demand for being accepted, which means applicant need “be better” to gain admittance.

      In the job market, however, you are absolutely right: college VS university - it doesn’t matter.

      • Universities can be public or private. They are simply a collection of colleges. An example of a single college that is not part of a university would be a community college.

        As for which is more prestigious, most colleges not part of a university generally only offer Associate’s degrees with some offering Bachelor’s degrees. Universities offer those along with graduate level degrees. You are correct that universities tend to be tougher to get into.

        Past your first job, nobody really gives a shit where you went.

    • In Australia “college” can mean two different things.

      It can be another word for high school, especially for exclusive, elite private schools. (For example: Brisbane Boys’ College.)

      It can be a term for a particular type of residence within a university, especially one that provides more than just a room, but also meals and social activities. (For example, Emmanuel College UQ.)

      Historically, it also had at least one other meaning. Among boomer teachers I know, I’ve heard talk of having gone to “teacher’s college”. So I think it used to be a sort of more specialised educational institution with a narrower focus than a university. But these don’t exist anymore, to my knowledge.