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Oh geez, there are just so many different schools in this country, aren't there? Private schools and public schools, giant schools and tiny schools, four-year schools and two-year schools; schools with other schools inside of them. If you're not careful, things can get downright confusing.
We'll help you better understand what exactly you're getting into as you begin looking at colleges and universities. And believe us, scholars, those two are hardly one in the same.
Colleges and Universities
Like the imperial measurement system and mayonnaise, the quirky definition of what's a college and what's a university is something used exclusively by Americans. Other countries - like Spain, England and Canada - have drawn a thick line in the sand between the two types of institutions, stating that colleges are like American-style vocational/trade schools and universities are like our colleges and, well, universities. In those countries, colleges can offer certificates and diplomas, but they can't offer degrees.
We Americans have decided to make things a little bit more confusing and say that both colleges and universities can offer BA's, BSc's, MA's, and PhDs. It's all fair game for the Stars n' Stripes, kids. Dive on in.
What's the difference?
Surely you've heard the names of universities mentioned before: The University of Maryland; Harvard University; Iowa State University. The proper definition of a university is a place of learning that offers many different programs and fields of study. Whereas students who apply to colleges are going to that school for a specific type of education, students applying to universities have interests in a variety of subjects.
Universities are consortiums for a number of colleges, which is why when you visit universities you'll see the School of Arts & Sciences and the School of Educational Studies, but when you visit a college you'll see that it's actually one collective school.
There are, additionally, a number of superficial differences between colleges and universities, many of which are listed here:
- Universities have better football teams.
- Colleges tend to have better ivy growing on their walls, though Ivy League schools are universities.
- The largest universities are much bigger than the largest colleges.
- College graduation ceremonies are less time consuming.
- All heads of colleges are called presidents, but some heads of universities are called Chancellors.
Public and State Universities
Most, but not all, of the public universities you'll be looking at are also state-supported schools. Public universities that are publicly funded by the state government are referred to as state universities, often with a much lower tuition fee for in-state students than those from out-of-state.
State universities are run under a state university system, which each state operates independently. Some larger states such as California and Texas have more than one state university system
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