Weak Friday night

U.S. university or college follows after high school, or secondary school. A college in the U.S.A. is not a high school or secondary school. College and university programs begin in the thirteenth year of school, when a student is 17 or 18 years old or older. A two-year college offers an associate's degree, as well as certificates. A four-year college or university offers a bachelor's degree. Programs that offer these degrees are called "undergraduate" schools. A "university" is a group of schools for studies after secondary school. At least one of these schools is a college where students receive a bachelor's degree. The other schools in a university are"graduate" (also known as "postgraduate") schools where students receive advanced degrees. Therefore, a university offers both the bachelor's degree and graduate degrees such as the master's (M.A.) and doctorate (Ph.D.). You can earn a bachelor's degree at either a college or a university. However, students in the U.S.A. prefer to use the word "college" rather than the word "university" when they talk about four-year undergraduate programs and the bachelor's degree. They use phrases like,"going to college" and "a college degree," when they talk about undergraduate programs at either a college or a university. wrote:

In the US, there are community colleges, liberal arts colleges, and universities.

Universities are the regular type of four year post high school school. They are usually more science and math oriented and promote specialization in a single area. They are research focused and have more of an academic feel. These include all of the Ivy's- Harvard, Yale, Brown, etc.

Liberal Arts Colleges American institutions of higher education which traditionally emphasize interactive instruction (although research is still a component of these institutions) at the undergraduate level. These are 4 year programs where you can earn a Bachelor's Degree. They are more personable, more undergraduate focused, and usually have small student bodies for better teacher-student interaction. These include Trinity College, Williams College, Reed College, the 7 sisters (set of high ranking female only colleges), and more.

Community Colleges are 2 year programs. You enter CC, get your associates degree after two years, and then (usually) transfer to either a university or liberal arts college. You cannot get a Bachelor's degree at a CC, but you can get jobs with an Associate's degree.

In regular conversations, "college" and "university" usually both refer to a 4 year higher education system at the end of which you earn a Bachelor's Degree.