what is college

A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. It may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary school. In the U.S., the term "college" can refer to a constituent part of a university, an independent institution offering bachelors-level courses, or an institution offering instruction in a particular professional, technical, or vocational field. In the UK, colleges offer associate, vocational, and certificate courses, and are smaller institutions that offer fewer courses than universities. In the U.S., colleges are public, government-funded institutions that provide the first two years of university education, preparing students to transfer to a university for two years to complete their bachelor’s degree. Some colleges also offer four-year applied bachelor degrees and short-term noncredit programs. The curriculum at a college and a university is the same, and both are accredited by the same agencies. In the U.S., schools with "college" in their name are often smaller institutions that emphasize undergraduate education, while community colleges are two-year schools that grant associate degrees and career-related certificates.