University vs. College: What it Means for the Student Experience
It’s about fit.
Students thrive at both colleges and universities.
On December 2, 2021, an ongoing conflict at Columbia University reached a flashpoint after administrators announced that striking student workers who did not return to work by December 10 would not be guaranteed jobs for the spring semester. Following the University’s announcement, strikers were joined by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters members. The result was the largest strike in the nation at the time.
The strike had already had profound impacts on Columbia’s undergraduate experience. Columbia’s signature core curriculum, the cornerstone of the College’s undergraduate education, is largely staffed by graduate students. As such, undergraduate students taking courses taught by striking graduate students had had their education disrupted since November 3, when the strike began. Some classes had not met for five weeks, and undergraduate students ran the risk of not earning credit for a full semester of coursework. Picket lines prevented students from attending classes that could still be held. Administrators offered students pass-fail options to attempt to mitigate the strike’s impact on students’ grades. Ultimately, the strike ended on January 7, ten weeks after its start.
The strike offers a lens for understanding salient considerations about the differences between colleges and universities and what attending one versus the other could mean for the undergraduate student experience.
So what’s the difference between a college and a university?
In the US, the term college is often used to refer to any institution of higher education that a student attends after high school, even though students attend a range of types of places, including both colleges and universities.
At its most basic level, the distinction between a college and a university is that a college offers undergraduate degrees, whereas a university grants degrees beyond undergraduate degrees, such as master’s and doctoral degrees. That is, colleges have undergraduate students, while universities have undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. Don’t rely on its name to determine if an institution is a college or a university. For instance, Boston College is a university, while Denison University is a small liberal arts college.
College vs. University
This fundamental distinction leads to some general statements.*
Colleges focus on undergraduates. Universities have other constituencies to focus on.
Colleges have one school and one campus. Universities have multiple schools or colleges and possibly several campuses.
Colleges offer one degree and one set of degree requirements for all students. Universities offer a number of degrees with various undergraduate degree requirements.
Colleges are usually small, enrolling less than 3000 students. Universities are typically larger than 5000 students, sometimes much. For instance, Pennsylvania State’s main campus enrolls over 65,000 undergraduate students.
At colleges, an undergraduate student will be taught by faculty. At universities, undergraduates will be taught by faculty and graduate students.
Colleges focus less on research and more on teaching. The reverse is true at universities.
Since colleges are smaller, the curriculum may be less wide and deep. Universities offer more academic options: more faculty, courses, majors, and programs.
* There are colleges and universities which are exceptions to each of these general statements.
How will this decision affect my college student?
How do the differences between colleges and universities manifest for the undergraduate student experience?
Application method: A student simply applies to a college itself. When applying to a university, students typically need to indicate at the time of application which school at the university they are applying to.
Flexibility of major: If a student is accepted to a college, all majors and courses are available to them. At a university, students are often admitted to a specific school, limiting their academic choices. In terms of majors, they may have all majors within their school available to them or be restricted to a particular major within the school. For example, in 2020, students admitted to the majors of Computer Science and Computer Engineering in the Paul Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington could choose to major in Computer Science or Computer Engineering but not a different engineering major within the Paul Allen School. It also may not be possible for a student to major in a major offered within another school at their university. Being able to do so might require that the student switch (or internally transfer) to that other school at the university, if possible. If a student can move into another school at a university, what does that process look like? How complicated is it? Do students have to withdraw from their current school and reapply to the other school? What are the grade or course requirements to make a switch? How many students successfully internally transfer? In terms of classes, are students able to take classes in other schools? For instance, can students in a school of engineering take art classes in the university’s school of art? Or vice-versa? Note that universities vary widely regarding how restrictive or flexible the academic offerings are. The most flexible universities offer open admission, which means that there is no need to indicate the school at the university a student is applying to at the time of application. Once enrolled, students don’t need to worry about switching between schools or parts of the curriculum such as majors or courses being inaccessible - everything is accessible. Brown University is the classic example of this type of university, and one of the reasons so many students are drawn to it.
Interactions with faculty: There are no graduate students at a college, so undergraduate students will be mentored and taught by faculty. At a university, graduate students may teach undergraduates and mentor them in research laboratories. The number of graduate students at a university can vary widely, even among prominent research institutions. For instance, at Columbia University, there are about 23,000 graduate students and 9,000 undergraduate students, while Carnegie Mellon University has roughly equal numbers of graduate and undergraduate students (about 7,000 each). The degree of graduate students’ role in an undergraduate’s academic life could be viewed positively or negatively. Certainly, graduate students may provide strong instruction and meaningful mentorship of their students. However, most families would not be pleased if their child were taught solely by graduate students in their first year, as is possible at Columbia University. As a rule, undergraduates can expect to have smaller classes and more contact with and form closer relationships with faculty at colleges.
Research opportunities: Professors at both colleges and universities perform and involve undergraduate students in research. Generally, there is more research activity – more labs, centers, projects, researchers (professors and graduate students) – at universities. On the other hand, at a college, there are only undergraduates to assist professors with research, no graduate students. So, all research opportunities at every level of responsibility are filled by undergraduates.
Curricular offerings: Universities provide greater breadth (more areas of study, degrees) and depth (more professors, courses, and programs within a field) than colleges. In addition to the wider range of curricular and research offerings at a university, undergraduate students may be able to take graduate courses as they progress through their degree and continue to a master’s program. Some institutions offer special combined degree programs that enable students to earn a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. Clark University’s accelerated BA/MS program includes a full scholarship option for the fifth year. Colleges generally offer one degree. Many colleges are small liberal arts colleges, but not all. The neighboring towns of Wellesley and Needham, MA, illustrate this point as they are home to three colleges, each with different missions and degrees: Wellesley College, a historically women’s liberal arts college, Babson College, a business college, and Olin College of Engineering, an engineering college. Recognizing their unique identities and offerings, these three schools have formed the BOW Collaboration, which enables students to access their courses, activities, and programs. Many colleges expand their curricular and extracurricular offerings through such arrangements with other institutions. For instance, beyond Babson College and Olin College, Wellesley College students also have MIT’s curriculum at their fingertips through the MIT-Wellesley cross registration agreement. Students at Smith College, Mt. Holyoke College, Hampshire College, and Amherst College, all benefit from the resources at their institutions and those of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, through the Five College Consortium.
Logistical considerations: Universities are larger than colleges, and some students will need to travel between campuses or schools to take full advantage of an institution’s academic offerings. For instance, Johns Hopkins University is comprised of ten campuses. Students may find themselves traveling from the main undergraduate campus to the Medical School campus to pursue research or the Peabody Institute to pursue music and dance. Hopkins supports a shuttle that runs between these campuses. Colleges that have relationships with other institutions may also require similar travel. Students at Wellesley College can use the BOW shuttle to travel to Babson and Olin and the Wellesley-MIT Exchange Bus to get to MIT. However, this is unusual for colleges. More often, students at a college will not need to travel to other campuses.
Postgraduate success: A common myth is that universities prepare students better for graduate schools, professional schools, and jobs. What matters most is not whether a student attended a college or a university, nor the ranking or prestige of an institution. What matters most is what a student achieves while an undergraduate. Students at Harvard Law School graduated from both colleges and universities, including many that do not top popular rankings. The big six college experiences linked to lifelong success can be found at all types of institutions. However, it may be more possible to experience them at some places. For instance, it may be easier to participate in extracurricular activities at smaller liberal arts colleges since fewer students are competing for spots in clubs and organizations and leadership roles.
The Conclusion
Students thrive at both colleges and universities. Fit is important. Suppose a student is the type of person who could struggle to seek out resources and develop relationships with faculty. In that case, a smaller college may be a better match than a university. On the other hand, independent and assertive students may soar at a university amidst its rich offerings.
Questions to ask on a tour:
How large is your largest class? How small is your smallest class? On average, how many students are in your classes?
What is your favorite class and why? Who taught it? Are any of your courses taught by graduate students? How many?
Who is your favorite professor and why? Can you tell me about an interaction you’ve had with a professor?
Who is your advisor? Is your advisor a professor or staff member? How has your advisor helped you?
Did you have trouble joining any extracurricular activities that you had hoped to participate in? What did you have to do to participate in your extracurricular activities? Audition? Apply? Just sign up? What about your friends? How competitive (or not) was it to join these extracurricular activities?
Have you changed your major? If so, how easy or difficult was it to do so?
At a University, are you able to take courses in other schools at the University? If so, how easy or difficult was it to do so? Have you changed your school? If so, how easy or difficult was it to do so? Is it possible to major in something at another school at the university?
Do you have to travel to any other of your school’s campuses to take courses? How does that work?
Is there cross registration with other institutions? If yes, how many students take classes at other institutions? Have you? Is it easy to do so? Difficult? How do you get to the other school? Is there a shuttle or do you need to find your own transportation? Is the transportation free? Reliable?
Have you taken any graduate level courses at your university? Do you plan to?
