College

This article is about educational colleges. For other uses, seeCollege (disambiguation).

Not to be confused withCollage.

Corpus Christi College,one of the constituentcolleges of the University of CambridgeinEngland

Williams CollegeinWilliamstown,Massachusetts,one of the oldestliberal arts collegesin the United States

Seinäjoki CollegeinSeinäjoki,South Ostrobothnia,Finland,in May 2018

Acollege(Latin:collegium) is aneducational institutionor aconstituentpart of one. A college may be adegree-awardingtertiaryeducational institution, a part of acollegiate or federal university,an institution offeringvocational education,afurther educationinstitution, or asecondary school.

In most of the world, a college may be ahigh schoolor secondary school, a college offurther education,a training institution that awards trade qualifications, a higher-education provider that does not have university status (often without its own degree-awarding powers), or a constituent part of auniversity.In theUnited States,a college may offerundergraduate programs– either as an independent institution or as the undergraduate program of a university – or it may be aresidential collegeof a university or acommunity college,referring to (primarily public) higher education institutions that aim to provide affordable and accessible education, usually limited to two-yearassociate degrees.The word is generally also used as a synonym for a university in the US.Colleges in countries such asFrance,Belgium,andSwitzerlandprovidesecondary education.

Etymology

The "red siminar", a college building pictured in the coat of arms ofNuuk,the capital city ofGreenland

The word "college" is from theLatinverblego, legere, legi, lectum,"to collect, gather together, pick", plus the prepositioncum,"with",thus meaning "selected together". Thus "colleagues" are literally "persons who have been selected to work together". Inancient Romeacollegiumwas a "body, guild, corporation united in colleagueship; of magistrates, praetors, tribunes, priests, augurs; a political club or trade guild".Thus a college was a form ofcorporationor corporate body, an artificial legal person (body/corpus) with its own legal personality, with the capacity to enter into legal contracts, to sue and be sued. In mediaeval England there were colleges of priests, for example inchantry chapels;modern survivals include theRoyal College of Surgeonsin England (originally the Guild of Surgeons Within the City of London), theCollege of Armsin London (a body ofheraldsenforcing heraldic law), anelectoral college(to elect representatives); all groups of persons "selected in common" to perform a specified function and appointed by a monarch, founder or other person in authority. As for the modern "college of education", it was a body created for that purpose, for exampleEton Collegewas founded in 1440 byletters patentof King Henry VI for the constitution of a collegeof Fellows, priests, clerks, choristers, poor scholars, and old poor men, with one master or governor,whose duty it shall be to instruct these scholars and any others who may resort thither from any part of England in the knowledge of letters, and especially of grammar, without payment ".

Overview

Higher education

King's College London,established by aRoyal Charterin 1829, is one of the founding colleges of theUniversity of London.

Within higher education, the term can be used to refer to:

• A constituent part of acollegiate university,for exampleKing's College, Cambridge,or of a federal university, for exampleKing's College London.
• Aliberal arts college,an independent institution of higher education focusing on undergraduate education, such asWilliams CollegeorAmherst College.
• A liberal arts division of a university whose undergraduate program does not otherwise follow a liberal arts model, such as theYuanpei CollegeatPeking University.
• Aninstituteproviding specialised training, such as a college offurther education,for exampleBelfast Metropolitan College,a teacher training college, or an art college.
• ACatholic higher educationinstitute which includes universities, colleges, and other institutions of higher education privately run by the Catholic Church, typically by religious institutes. Those tied to the Holy See are specifically called pontifical universities.
• In theUnited States,college is sometimes but rarely a synonym for a research university, such asDartmouth College,one of the eight universities in theIvy League.
• In theUnited States,the undergraduate college of a university which also confers graduate degrees, such asYale College,the undergraduate college withinYale University.

Further education

Main article:Sixth form college

Asixth form collegeorcollege of further educationis an educational institution inEngland,Wales,Northern Ireland,Belize,theCaribbean,Malta,Norway,Brunei,andSouthern Africa,among others, where students aged 16 to 19 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such asA-levels,BTEC,HND or its equivalent and theInternational Baccalaureate Diploma,or school-level qualifications such asGCSEs.InSingaporeandIndia,this is known as ajunior college.The municipal government of the city ofParisuses the phrase "sixth form college" as the English name for alycée.

Secondary education

Scotch College, Melbourne,an independent secondary school inAustralia

In some national education systems,secondary schoolsmay be called "colleges" or have "college" as part of their title.

In Australia the term "college" is applied to any private or independent (non-government) primary and, especially, secondary school as distinct from astate school.Melbourne Grammar School,Cranbrook School, SydneyandThe King's School, Parramattaare considered colleges.

There has also been a recent trend to rename or create governmentsecondary schoolsas "colleges". In the state ofVictoria,some state high schools are referred to assecondary colleges,although the pre-eminent government secondary school for boys inMelbourneis still namedMelbourne High School.In Western Australia, South Australia and theNorthern Territory,"college" is used in the name of all state high schools built since the late 1990s, and also some older ones. InNew South Wales,some high schools, especially multi-campus schools resulting from mergers, are known as "secondary colleges". InQueenslandsome newer schools which accept primary and high school students are styledstate college,but state schools offering only secondary education are called "State High School". InTasmaniaand theAustralian Capital Territory,"college" refers to the final two years of high school (years 11 and 12), and the institutions which provide this. In this context, "college" is a system independent of the other years of high school. Here, the expression is a shorter version ofmatriculation college.

In a number of Canadian cities, many government-run secondary schools are called "collegiates" or "collegiate institutes"(C.I.), a complicated form of the word" college "which avoids the usual" post-secondary "connotation. This is because these secondary schools have traditionally focused on academic, rather than vocational, subjects and ability levels (for example, collegiates offered Latin while vocational schools offered technical courses). Some private secondary schools (such asUpper Canada College,Vancouver College) choose to use the word "college" in their names nevertheless.Some secondary schools elsewhere in the country, particularly ones within theseparate schoolsystem, may also use the word "college" or "collegiate" in their names.

In New Zealand the word "college" normally refers to a secondary school for ages 13 to 17 and "college" appears as part of the name especially of private or integrated schools. "Colleges" most frequently appear in the North Island, whereas "high schools" are more common in the South Island.

In the Netherlands, "college" is equivalent toHBO(Higher professional education). It is oriented towards professional training with clear occupational outlook, unlike universities which are scientifically oriented.

St John's College, Johannesburg,aboys' schoolinSouth Africa

In South Africa, some secondary schools, especially private schools on the English public school model, have "college" in their title, including six of South Africa's Elite Seven high schools. A typical example of this category would beSt John's College.

Private schools that specialize in improving children's marks through intensive focus on examination needs are informally called "cram-colleges".

InSri Lankathe word "college" (known asVidyalayainSinhala) normally refers to a secondary school, which usually signifies above the 5th standard. During the British colonial period a limited number of exclusive secondary schools were established based on English public school model (Royal College Colombo,S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia,Trinity College, Kandy) these along with several Catholic schools (St. Joseph's College, Colombo,St Anthony's College) traditionally carry their name as colleges. Following the start of free education in 1931 large group ofcentral collegeswere established to educate the rural masses. Since Sri Lanka gained Independence in 1948, many schools that have been established have been named as "college".

Other

Royal College Colombo,aboys' schoollocated inColombo,Sri Lanka

As well as an educational institution, the term, in accordance with its etymology, may also refer to any formal group of colleagues set up under statute or regulation; often under a Royal Charter. Examples include anelectoral college,theCollege of Arms,acollege of canons,and theCollege of Cardinals.Other collegiate bodies include professional associations, particularly in medicine and allied professions. In the UK these include theRoyal College of Nursingand theRoyal College of Physicians.Examples in the United States include theAmerican College of Physicians,theAmerican College of Surgeons,and the American College of Dentists. An example in Australia is theRoyal Australian College of General Practitioners.

College by country

See also:Category:Higher education by country

The different ways in which the term "College" is used to describeeducational institutionsin various regions of the world is listed below:

Americas

Canada

Main article:College (Canada)

In Canadian English, the term "college" usually refers to a trades school, applied arts/science/technology/business/health school orcommunity college.These arepost-secondaryinstitutions grantingcertificates,diplomas,associate degreesand (in some cases)bachelor's degrees.The French acronym specific to public institutions withinQuebec's particular system of pre-university and technical education isCEGEP(Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel,"college of general and professional education" ). They arecollegiate-levelinstitutions that a student typically enrols in if they wish to continue onto university in theQuebec education system,or to learn a trade. InOntarioandAlberta,there are also institutions that are designateduniversity colleges,which only grant undergraduate degrees. This is to differentiate between universities, which have both undergraduate and graduate programs and those that do not.

In Canada, there is a strong distinction between "college" and "university". In conversation, one specifically would say either "they are going to university" (i.e., studying for a three- or four-year degree at a university) or "they are going to college" (i.e., studying at a technical/career training).

Usage in a university setting

The termcollegealso applies to distinct entities that formally act as an affiliated institution of the university, formally referred to asfederated college,or affiliated colleges. A university may also formally include several constituent colleges, forming acollegiate university.Examples of collegiate universities in Canada includeTrent University,and theUniversity of Toronto.These types of institutions act independently, maintaining their own endowments, and properties. However, they remain either affiliated, or federated with the overarching university, with the overarching university being the institution that formally grants the degrees. For example,Trinity Collegewas once an independent institution, but later became federated with theUniversity of Toronto.Several centralized universities in Canada have mimicked the collegiate university model; although constituent colleges in a centralized university remains under the authority of the central administration. Centralized universities that have adopted the collegiate model to a degree includes the University of British Columbia, withGreen CollegeandSt. John's College;and theMemorial University of Newfoundland,withSir Wilfred Grenfell College.

Occasionally, "college" refers to a subject specific faculty within a university that, while distinct, are neitherfederatednoraffiliated—College of Education, College of Medicine, College of Dentistry, College of Biological Scienceamong others.

TheRoyal Military College of Canadais amilitary collegewhich trains officers for theCanadian Armed Forces.The institution is a full-fledged university, with the authority to issue graduate degrees, although it continues to word the termcollegein its name. The institution's sister schools,Royal Military College Saint-Jeanalso uses the term college in its name, although it academic offering is akin to a CEGEP institution in Quebec. A number of post-secondaryart schoolsin Canada formerly used the wordcollegein their names, despite formally being universities. However, most of these institutions were renamed, or re-branded in the early 21st century, omitting the wordcollegefrom its name.

Usage in secondary education

The wordcollegecontinues to be used in the names publicseparatesecondary schools in Ontario.A number ofindependent schoolsacross Canada also use the wordcollegein its name.

Publicsecularschool boards in Ontario also refer to their secondary schools ascollegiate institutes.However, usage of the wordcollegiate institutevaries between school boards.Collegiate instituteis the predominant name for secondary schools inLakehead District School Board,andToronto District School Board,although most school boards in Ontario usecollegiate institutealongsidehigh school,andsecondary schoolin the names of their institutions. Similarly, secondary schools in Regina, and Saskatoon are referred to asCollegiate.

Chile

Main article:Education in Chile

Officially, since 2009, thePontifical Catholic University of Chileincorporated the term "college" as the name of atertiary educationprogram as a bachelor's degree. The program features aBachelor of Natural Sciences and Mathematics,aBachelor of Social Scienceand aBachelor of Arts and Humanities.It has the same system as theAmerican universities,it combines majors and minors and finally, it let the students continue a higher degree in the same university once the program it is completed.

But in Chile, the term "college" is not usually used fortertiary education,but is used mainly in the name of some privatebilingual schools,corresponding to levels 0, 1 and 2 of theISCED 2011.Some examples are theySantiago College,Saint George's College,among others.

United States

Main article:Higher education in the United States

See also:Community college § United States

City College of New York

In the United States, there were 5,916 post-secondary institutions (universities and colleges) as of 2020–21,having peaked at 7,253 in 2012–13 and fallen every year since.A "college" in the US can refer to a constituent part of a university (which can be aresidential college,the sub-division of the university offering undergraduate courses, or a school of the university offering particular specialized courses), an independent institution offering bachelor's-level courses, or an institution offering instruction in a particular professional, technical or vocational field.In popular usage, the word "college" is the generic term for any post-secondary undergraduate education. Americans "go to college" afterhigh school,regardless of whether the specific institution is formally a college or a university. Some students choose to dual-enroll, by taking college classes while still in high school. The word and its derivatives are the standard terms used to describe the institutions and experiences associated with American post-secondary undergraduate education.

Students must pay for college before taking classes. Some borrow the money via loans, and some students fund their educations with cash, scholarships, grants, or some combination of these payment methods. In 2011, the state or federal government subsidized $8,000 to $100,000 for each undergraduate degree. For state-owned schools (called "public" universities), the subsidy was given to the college, with the student benefiting from lower tuition.The state subsidized on average 50% of public university tuition.

Saint Anselm College

Colleges vary in terms of size, degree, and length of stay. Two-year colleges, also known asjuniororcommunity colleges,usually offer anassociate degree,and four-year colleges usually offer abachelor's degree.Often, these are entirelyundergraduateinstitutions, although some havegraduate schoolprograms.

Four-year institutions in the U.S. that emphasize aliberal artscurriculum are known asliberal arts colleges.Until the 20th century, liberal arts, law, medicine, theology, and divinity were about the only form of higher education available in the United States.These schools have traditionally emphasized instruction at the undergraduate level, although advanced research may still occur at these institutions.

Bowdoin College

While there is no national standard in the United States, the term "university" primarily designates institutions that provide undergraduate andgraduate education.A university typically has as its core and its largest internal division an undergraduate college teaching aliberal artscurriculum, also culminating in abachelor's degree.What often distinguishes a university is having, in addition, one or more graduate schools engaged in both teaching graduate classes and in research. Often these would be called a School of Law or School of Medicine, (but may also be called a college of law, or a faculty of law). An exception isVincennes University,Indiana,which is styled and chartered as a "university" even though almost all of its academic programs lead only to two-year associate degrees. Some institutions, such asDartmouth CollegeandThe College of William & Mary,have retained the term "college" in their names for historical reasons. In one unique case,Boston CollegeandBoston University,the former located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts and the latter located in Boston, Massachusetts, are completely separate institutions.

Usage of the terms varies among the states. In 1996, for example,Georgiachanged all of its four-year institutions previously designated as colleges to universities, and all of itsvocationaltechnology schools totechnical colleges.

Pomona College

The terms "university" and "college" do not exhaust all possible titles for an American institution of higher education. Other options include "institute" (Worcester Polytechnic InstituteandMassachusetts Institute of Technology), "academy" (United States Military Academy), "union" (Cooper Union), "conservatory" (New England Conservatory), and "school" (Juilliard School). In colloquial use, they are still referred to as "college" when referring to their undergraduate studies.

The termcollegeis also, as in the United Kingdom, used for a constituent semi-autonomous part of a larger university but generally organized on academic rather than residential lines. For example, at many institutions, the undergraduate portion of the university can be briefly referred to asthe college(such as TheCollege of the University of Chicago,Harvard CollegeatHarvard,orColumbia CollegeatColumbia) while at others, such as theUniversity of California, Berkeley,"colleges" are collections of academic programs and other units that share some common characteristics, mission, or disciplinary focus (the "college of engineering", the "college of nursing", and so forth). There exist other variants for historical reasons, including some uses that exist because of mergers and acquisitions; for example,Duke University,which was called Trinity College until the 1920s, still calls its main undergraduate subdivisionTrinity College of Arts and Sciences.

Residential colleges

Scripps College

Some American universities, such asPrinceton,Rice,andYalehave establishedresidential colleges(sometimes, as atHarvard,the first to establish such a system in the 1930s, known as houses) along the lines of Oxford or Cambridge.Unlike the Oxbridge colleges, but similarly toDurham,these residential colleges are not autonomous legal entities nor are they typically much involved in education itself, being primarily concerned with room, board, and social life.At theUniversity of Michigan,University of California, San Diegoand theUniversity of California, Santa Cruz,each residential college teaches its own core writing courses and has its own distinctive set of graduation requirements.

Many U.S. universities have placed increased emphasis on their residential colleges in recent years. This is exemplified by the creation of new colleges atIvy Leagueschools such asYale UniversityandPrinceton University,and efforts to strengthen the contribution of the residential colleges to student education, including through a 2016 taskforce at Princeton on residential colleges.

Origin of the U.S. usage

The founders of the first institutions of higher education in the United States were graduates of the University of Oxford and the University of Cambridge. The small institutions they founded would not have seemed to them like universities – they were tiny and did not offer the higher degrees in medicine and theology. Furthermore, they were not composed of several small colleges. Instead, the new institutions felt like the Oxford and Cambridge colleges they were used to – small communities, housing and feeding their students, with instruction from residential tutors (as in the United Kingdom, described above). When the first students graduated, these "colleges" assumed the right to confer degrees upon them, usually with authority—for example,The College of William & Maryhas aroyal charterfrom the British monarchy allowing it to confer degrees whileDartmouth Collegehas a charter permitting it to award degrees "as are usually granted in either of the universities, or any other college in our realm of Great Britain."

Agnes Scott College

The leaders ofHarvard College(which granted America's first degrees in 1642) might have thought of their college as the first of many residential colleges that would grow up into a New Cambridge university. However, over time, few new colleges were founded there, and Harvard grew and added higher faculties. Eventually, it changed its title to university, but the term "college" had stuck and "colleges" have arisen across the United States.

In U.S. usage, the word "college" not only embodies a particular type of school, but has historically been used to refer to the general concept of higher education when it is not necessary to specify a school, as in "going to college" or "college savings accounts" offered by banks.

In a survey of more than 2,000 college students in 33 states and 156 different campuses, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group found the average student spends as much as $1,200 each year on textbooks and supplies alone. By comparison, the group says that's the equivalent of 39 percent of tuition and fees at a community college, and 14 percent of tuition and fees at a four-year public university.

Morrill Land-Grant Act

SUNY Purchase College

In addition to private colleges and universities, the U.S. also has a system of government funded,public universities.Many were founded under theMorrill Land-Grant Colleges Actof 1862. A movement had arisen to bring a form of more practical higher education to the masses, as "...many politicians and educators wanted to make it possible for all young Americans to receive some sort of advanced education."The Morrill Act "...made it possible for the new western states to establish colleges for the citizens."Its goal was to make higher education more easily accessible to the citizenry of the country, specifically to improve agricultural systems by providing training and scholarship in the production and sales of agricultural products,and to provide formal education in "...agriculture, home economics, mechanical arts, and other professions that seemed practical at the time."

The act was eventually extended to allow all states that had remained with theUnionduring theAmerican Civil War,and eventually all states, to establish such institutions. Most of the colleges established under the Morrill Act have since become full universities, and some are among the elite of the world.

Benefits of college

Selection of a four-year college as compared to a two-year junior college, even by marginal students such as those with a C+ grade average in high school and SAT scores in the mid 800s, increases the probability of graduation and confers substantial economic and social benefits.

Asia

Bangladesh

RAJUK Uttara Model College,located in the northern suburb ofUttarain the capitalDhaka

InBangladesh,educational institutions offering higher secondary (11th–12thgrade) education are known as colleges.

Hong Kong

See also:Education in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, the term 'college' is used by tertiary institutions as either part of their names or to refer to a constituent part of the university, such as the colleges in the collegiateThe Chinese University of Hong Kong;or to a residence hall of a university, such asSt. John's College, University of Hong Kong.Many older secondary schools have the term 'college' as part of their names.

India

See also:Colleges and institutes in India

TheIndian Institute of Technology, Roorkeeis the oldest technical institution in Asia.

The modern system of education was heavily influenced by the British starting in 1835.

In India, the term "college" is commonly reserved for institutions that offer high school diplomas at year 12 ( "Junior College",similar to Americanhigh schools), and those that offer thebachelor's degree;some colleges, however, offer programmes up toPhDlevel. Generally, colleges are located in different parts of a state and all of them are affiliated to a regional university. The colleges offer programmes leading to degrees of that university. Colleges may be either Autonomous or non-autonomous. Autonomous Colleges are empowered to establish their own syllabus, and conduct and assess their own examinations; in non-autonomous colleges, examinations are conducted by the university, at the same time for all colleges under its affiliation. There are several hundred universities and each university has affiliated colleges, often a large number.

The first liberal arts and sciences college in India was "Cottayam College" or the "Syrian College", Kerala in 1815. The First inter linguistic residential education institution in Asia was started at this college. At present it is a Theological seminary which is popularly known as Orthodox Theological Seminary or Old Seminary. After that, CMS College, Kottayam, established in 1817, and thePresidency College, Kolkata,also 1817, initially known as Hindu College. The first college for the study of Christian theology and ecumenical enquiry wasSerampore College(1818). The first Missionary institution to impart Western style education in India was theScottish Church College, Calcutta(1830). The first commerce and economics college in India wasSydenham College,Mumbai(1913).

In India a new term has been introduced that is Autonomous Institutes & Colleges. An autonomous Colleges are colleges which need to be affiliated to a certain university. These colleges can conduct their own admission procedure, examination syllabus, fees structure etc. However, at the end of course completion, they cannot issue their own degree or diploma. The final degree or diploma is issued by the affiliated university. Also, some significant changes can pave way under the NEP (New Education Policy 2020) which may affect the present guidelines for universities and colleges.Implemented in the 2023–2024 academic year, the new education policy is said to fill the gaps and cover the drawbacks of theIndian education system.

Israel

For a more comprehensive list, seeList of universities and colleges in Israel § Colleges.

Braude College of Engineering

In Israel, any non-university higher-learning facility is called a college. Institutions accredited by theCouncil for Higher Education in Israel(CHE) to confer a bachelor's degree are called "Academic Colleges" (Hebrew:מִכְלָלָה,romanized:Mikhlala;pluralHebrew:מכללות,romanized:Mikhlalot). These colleges (at least 4 for 2012) may also offer master's degrees and act as Research facilities. There are also over twenty teacher training colleges or seminaries, most of which may award only aBachelor of Education(BEd) degree.

• Academic colleges: Any educational facility that had been approved to offer at least bachelor's degree is entitled by CHE to use the term academic college in its name.
• Engineering academic college: Any academic facility that offer at least bachelor's degree and most of it faculties are providing an Engineering degree and Engineering license.
• Educational academic college: After an educational facility that had been approved for "Teachers seminar" status is then approved to provide aBachelor of Education,its name is changed to include "Educational Academic college."
• Technical college: A "Technical college" (מכללה טכנולוגית) is an educational facility that is approved to allow to provideP.Edegree (הנדסאי) (14'th class) or technician (טכנאי) (13'th class) diploma and licenses.
• Training College: A "Training College" (מכללה להכשרהorמכללה מקצועית) is an educational facility that provides basic training allowing a person to receive a working permit in a field such as alternative medicine, cooking, Art, Mechanical, Electrical and other professions. A trainee could receive the right to work in certain professions as apprentice (j. mechanic, j. Electrician etc.). After working in the training field for enough time an apprentice could have a license to operate (Mechanic, Electrician). This educational facility is mostly used to provide basic training for low tech jobs and for job seekers without any training that are provided by the nation's Employment Service (שירות התעסוקה).

Macau

Following the Portuguese usage, the term "college" (colégio) inMacauhas traditionally been used in the names for private (and non-governmental) pre-university educational institutions, which correspond to form one to form six level tiers. Such schools are usually run by the Roman Catholic church or missionaries in Macau. Examples includeChan Sui Ki Perpetual Help College,Yuet Wah College,and Sacred Heart Canossian College.

Philippines

Main article:Higher education in the Philippines

In the Philippines, colleges usually refer to institutions of learning that grant degrees but whose scholastic fields are not as diverse as that of a university (University of Santo Tomas,University of the Philippines,Ateneo de Manila University,De La Salle University,Far Eastern University,andAMA University), such as theSan Beda Collegewhich specializes in law,AMA Computer Collegewhose campuses are spread all over the Philippines which specializes in information and computing technologies, and theMapúa Institute of Technologywhich specializes in engineering, or to component units within universities that do not grant degrees but rather facilitate the instruction of a particular field, such as a College of Science and College of Engineering, among many other colleges of theUniversity of the Philippines.

A state college may not have the word "college" on its name, but may have several component colleges, or departments. Thus, the Eulogio Amang Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology is a state college by classification.

Usually, the term "college" is also thought of as a hierarchical demarcation between the term "university", and quite a number of colleges seek to be recognized as universities as a sign of improvement in academic standards (Colegio de San Juan de Letran,San Beda College), and increase in the diversity of the offered degree programs (called "courses" ). For private colleges, this may be done through a survey and evaluation by the Commission on Higher Education and accrediting organizations, as was the case of Urios College which is now theFr. Saturnino Urios University.For state colleges, it is usually done by a legislation by the Congress or Senate. In common usage, "going to college" simply means attending school for an undergraduate degree, whether it's from an institution recognized as a college or a university.

When it comes to referring to the level of education,collegeis the term more used to be synonymous to tertiary or higher education. A student who is or has studied his/her undergraduate degree at either an institution withcollegeoruniversityin its name is considered to be going to or have gone tocollege.

Singapore

The term "college" inSingaporeis generally only used for pre-university educational institutions called "Junior Colleges", which provide the final two years of secondary education (equivalent to sixth form in British terms or grades 11–12 in the American system). Since 1 January 2005, the term also refers to the three campuses of theInstitute of Technical Educationwith the introduction of the "collegiate system", in which the three institutions are calledITE College East,ITE College Central,andITE College Westrespectively.

The term "university" is used to describe higher-education institutions offering locally conferred degrees. Institutions offering diplomas are called "polytechnics",while other institutions are often referred to as" institutes "and so forth.

Sri Lanka

There are several professional and vocational institutions that offer post-secondary education without granting degrees that are referred to as "colleges". This includes theSri Lanka Law College,the many Technical Colleges and Teaching Colleges.

Turkey

In Turkey, the term "kolej" (college) refers to a private high school, typically preceded by one year of preparatory language education. Notable Turkish colleges includeRobert College,Uskudar American Academy,American Collegiate Instituteand Tarsus American College.

Africa

South Africa

Although the term "college" is hardly used in any context at any university in South Africa, some non-university tertiary institutions call themselves colleges. These include teacher training colleges, business colleges and wildlife management colleges. See:List of universities in South Africa#Private colleges and universities;List of post secondary institutions in South Africa.

Zimbabwe

The term college is mainly used by private or independent secondary schools with Advanced Level (Upper 6th formers) and also Polytechnic Colleges which confer diplomas only. A student can complete secondary education (International General Certificate of Secondary Education,IGCSE) at 16 years and proceed straight to a poly-technical college or they can proceed to Advanced level (16 to 19 years) and obtain a General Certificate of Education (GCE) certificate which enables them to enroll at a university, provided they have good grades. Alternatively, with lower grades, the GCE certificate holders will have an added advantage over theirGCSEcounterparts if they choose to enroll at a polytechnical college. Some schools in Zimbabwe choose to offer theInternational Baccalaureatestudies as an alternative to theIGCSEand GCE.

Europe

Greece

Kollegio(inGreekΚολλέγιο) refers to the Centers of Post-Lyceum Education (in Greek Κέντρο Μεταλυκειακής Εκπαίδευσης, abbreviated as KEME), which are principally private and belong to the Greek post-secondary education system. Some of them have links to EU or US higher education institutions or accreditation organizations, such as theNEASC.Kollegio(orKollegiain plural) may also refer to private non-tertiary schools, such as theAthens College.

Ireland

See also:Third-level education in the Republic of Ireland

Parliament Square,Trinity College DublininIreland

InIrelandthe term "college" is normally used to describe an institution of tertiary education. University students often say they attend "college" rather than "university". Until 1989, no university provided teaching or research directly; they were formally offered by a constituent college of the university.

There are number of secondary education institutions that traditionally used the word "college" in their names: these are either older, private schools (such asBelvedere College,Gonzaga College,Castleknock College,andSt. Michael's College) or what were formerly a particular kind of secondary school. These secondary schools, formerly known as "technical colleges," were renamed "community colleges," but remain secondary schools.

The country's onlyancient universityis theUniversity of Dublin.Created during the reign ofElizabeth I,it is modelled on the collegiate universities of Cambridge and Oxford. However, only one constituent college was ever founded, hence the curious position ofTrinity College Dublintoday; although both are usually considered one and the same, the university and college are completely distinct corporate entities with separate and parallel governing structures.

Among more modern foundations, theNational University of Ireland,founded in 1908, consisted of constituent colleges and recognised colleges until 1997. The former are now referred to as constituent universities – institutions that are essentially universities in their own right. The National University can trace its existence back to 1850 and the creation of theQueen's University of Irelandand the creation of theCatholic University of Irelandin 1854. From 1880, the degree awarding roles of these two universities was taken over by theRoyal University of Ireland,which remained until the creation of the National University in 1908 andQueen's University Belfast.

The state's two new universities,Dublin City UniversityandUniversity of Limerick,were initiallyNational Institute for Higher Educationinstitutions. These institutions offered university level academic degrees and research from the start of their existence and were awarded university status in 1989 in recognition of this.

Third level technical education in the state has been carried out in theInstitutes of Technology,which were established from the 1970s as Regional Technical Colleges. These institutions havedelegated authoritywhich entitles them to give degrees and diplomas fromQuality and Qualifications Ireland(QQI) in their own names.

A number of private colleges exist such asDublin Business School,providing undergraduate and postgraduate courses validated by QQI and in some cases by other universities.

Other types of college include colleges of education, such as theChurch of Ireland College of Education.These are specialist institutions, often linked to a university, which provide both undergraduate and postgraduate academic degrees for people who want to train as teachers.

A number of state-funded further education colleges exist – which offer vocational education and training in a range of areas from business studies andinformation and communications technologyto sports injury therapy. These courses are usually one, two or less often three years in duration and are validated by QQI at Levels 5 or 6, or for the BTECHigher National Diplomaaward, which is a Level 6/7 qualification, validated byEdexcel.There are numerous private colleges (particularly in Dublin and Limerick)which offer both further and higher education qualifications. These degrees and diplomas are often certified by foreign universities/international awarding bodies and are aligned to the National Framework of Qualifications at Levels 6, 7 and 8.

Netherlands

Main article:Education in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands there are 3 main educational routes after high school.

• MBO (middle-level applied education), which is the equivalent ofjunior college.Designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in support roles in professions such as engineering, accountancy, business administration, nursing, medicine, architecture, and criminology or for additional education at another college with more advanced academic material.
• HBO (higher professional education), which is the equivalent of college and has a professional orientation. After HBO (typically 4–6 years), pupils can enroll in a (professional) master's program (1–2 years) or enter the job market. The HBO is taught in vocational universities (hogescholen), of which there are over 40 in the Netherlands, each of which offers a broad variety of programs, with the exception of some that specialize in arts or agriculture. Note that the hogescholen are not allowed to name themselves university in Dutch. This also stretches to English and therefore HBO institutions are known asuniversities of applied sciences.
• WO (Scientific education), which is the equivalent to university level education and has an academic orientation.

HBO graduates can be awarded two titles, which are Baccalaureus (bc.) and Ingenieur (ing.). At a WO institution, many more bachelor's and master's titles can be awarded. Bachelor's degrees: Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BSc) and Bachelor of Laws (LLB). Master's degrees: Master of Arts (MA), Master of Laws (LLM) and Master of Science (MSc). The PhD title is a research degree awarded upon completion and defense of a doctoral thesis.

Portugal

Main article:Education in Portugal

Presently inPortugal,the termcolégio(college) is normally used as a generic reference to a private (non-government) school that provides frombasictosecondary education.Many of the private schools include the termcolégioin their name. Some special public schools – usually of the boarding school type – also include the term in their name, with a notable example being theColégio Militar(Military College). The termcolégio interno(literally "internal college" ) is used specifically as a generic reference to aboarding school.

Until the 19th century, acolégiowas usually a secondary or pre-university school, of public or religious nature, where the students usually lived together. A model for these colleges was the Royal College of Arts and Humanities, founded inCoimbraby KingJohn III of Portugalin 1542.

United Kingdom

Birkbeck, University of London

Secondary education and further education

Further education (FE) colleges andsixth form collegesare institutions providing further education to students over 16. Some of these also provide higher education courses (see below).In the context of secondary education, 'college' is used in the names of some private schools, e.g.Eton CollegeandWinchester College.

Higher education

See also:Colleges within universities in the United Kingdom,Residential college,andUniversity college § United Kingdom

In higher education, a college is normally a provider that does not hold university status, although it can also refer to a constituent part of acollegiate or federal universityor a grouping of academicfacultiesor departments within a university. Traditionally the distinction between colleges and universities was that colleges did not award degrees while universities did, but this is no longer the case withNCGhaving gained taught degree awarding powers (the same as some universities) on behalf of its colleges,and many of thecolleges of the University of Londonholding full degree awarding powers and being effectively universities. Most colleges, however, do not hold their own degree awarding powers and continue to offer higher education courses that are validated by universities or other institutions that can award degrees.

In England, as of August 2016,over 60% of the higher education providers directly funded byHEFCE(208/340) are sixth-form or further education colleges, often termed colleges of further and higher education, along with 17 colleges of the University of London, oneuniversity college,100 universities, and 14 other providers (six of which use 'college' in their name). Overall, this means over two-thirds of state-supported higher education providers in England are colleges of one form or another.Many private providers are also called colleges, e.g. theNew College of the HumanitiesandSt Patrick's College, London.

Colleges within universities vary immensely in their responsibilities. The large constituent colleges of theUniversity of Londonare effectively universities in their own right; colleges in some universities, including those of theUniversity of the Arts Londonand smaller colleges of theUniversity of London,run their own degree courses but do not award degrees; those at theUniversity of Roehamptonprovide accommodation and pastoral care as well as delivering the teaching on university courses; those atOxfordandCambridgedeliver some teaching on university courses as well as providing accommodation and pastoral care; and those inDurham,Kent,LancasterandYorkprovide accommodation and pastoral care but do not normally participate in formal teaching. The legal status of these colleges also varies widely, with University of London colleges being independent corporations and recognised bodies, Oxbridge colleges, colleges of theUniversity of the Highlands and Islands(UHI) and some Durham colleges being independent corporations and listed bodies, most Durham colleges being owned by the university but still listed bodies, and those of other collegiate universities not having formal recognition. When applying for undergraduate courses throughUCAS,University of London colleges are treated as independent providers, colleges of Oxford, Cambridge, Durham and UHI are treated as locations within the universities that can be selected by specifying a 'campus code' in addition to selecting the university, and colleges of other universities are not recognised.

The UHI and theUniversity of Wales Trinity Saint David(UWTSD) both include further education colleges. However, while the UHI colleges integrate FE and HE provision, UWTSD maintains a separation between the university campuses (Lampeter, Carmarthen and Swansea) and the two colleges (Coleg Sir GârandColeg Ceredigion;n.b.colegisWelshfor college), which although part of the same group are treated as separate institutions rather than colleges within the university.

Auniversity collegeis an independent institution with the power to award taught degrees, but which has not been granted university status. University College is a protected title that can only be used with permission, although note thatUniversity College London,University College, OxfordandUniversity College, Durhamare colleges within their respective universities and not university colleges (in the case of UCL holding full degree awarding powers that set it above a university college), whileUniversity College Birminghamis a university in its own right and also not a university college.

Oceania

Australia

In Australia a college may be an institution of tertiary education that is smaller than a university, run independently or as part of a university. Following a reform in the 1980s many of the formerly independent colleges now belong to a larger universities.

Referring to parts of a university, there areresidential collegeswhich provide residence for students, both undergraduate and postgraduate, calleduniversity colleges.These colleges often provide additional tutorial assistance, and some hosttheologicalstudy. Many colleges have strong traditions and rituals, so are a combination of dormitory style accommodation and fraternity or sorority culture.

Most technical and further education institutions (TAFEs), which offer certificate and diploma vocational courses, are styled "TAFE colleges" or "Colleges of TAFE". In some places, such as Tasmania, college refers to a type of school for Year 11 and 12 students, e.g.Don College.

New Zealand

TheUniversity of OtagoinNew Zealand

The constituent colleges of the formerUniversity of New Zealand(such as Canterbury University College) have become independent universities. Some halls of residence associated with New Zealand universities retain the name of "college", particularly at theUniversity of Otago(which although brought under the umbrella of the University of New Zealand, already possessed university status and degree awarding powers). The institutions formerly known as "Teacher-training colleges" now style themselves "College of education".

Some universities, such as theUniversity of Canterbury,have divided their university into constituent administrative "Colleges" – the College of Arts containing departments that teach Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Science containing Science departments, and so on. This is largely modelled on the Cambridge model, discussed above.

Like the United Kingdom some professional bodies in New Zealand style themselves as "colleges", for example, theRoyal Australasian College of Surgeons,theRoyal Australasian College of Physicians.

In some parts of the country, secondary school is often referred to as college and the term is used interchangeably with high school. This sometimes confuses people from other parts of New Zealand. But in all parts of the country many secondary schools have "College" in their name, such asRangitoto College,New Zealand's largest secondary.

See also

• Community college
• Residential college
• University college
• Vocational university
• Madrasa
• Ashrama (stage)