Going off to college is a milestone in any young adult’s life. The phrase itself conjures up images of newfound independence,【C1】________to new perspectives, knowledge, and possibly even one or more sips of alcohol.

In America,【C2】_____, few people use the phrase “going off to university,” or “【C3】__to university,” even if they are indeed about to【C4】_____for, say, Harvard University. Why did college become the predominant term for postsecondary education? And is there any difference between the two institutions?

While university appears to be the【C5】_____of the two terms, dating as far back as the 13th century, schools and students in North America have embraced college to describe most places of higher learning. There is no【C6】__definition of the words, but there are some general【C7】__for each. A college is【C8】__a four-year school that offers undergraduate degrees【C9】_____an associate or a bachelor’ s. (Community colleges are often two-year schools.) They don’t typically offer master’s or doctorates, and the size of their student body is typically the smaller of the two.

Universities, on the other hand, tend to offer both undergraduate and graduate programs【C10】_____advanced degrees for a larger group of students. They can also be【C11】__of several schools—referred to as colleges— under their umbrella. A university could offer both a school of arts and sciences and a school of business. The University of Michigan has a College of Engineering,【C12】_____.

【C13】_____many of these traits are common, they’re not guaranteed. Some colleges can be bigger than universities, some might offer master’s degrees, and so on. To【C14】__matters further, an institution that fits the criteria of a university might choose to call itself a college. Both Dartmouth College and Boston College【C15】__as universities but use the college label【C16】__tradition. Schools may begin as colleges, grow into universities, but【C17】_____the original name.

People tend to think of a university as being more【C18】_____or harder to get into, but there are too many【C19】_____ to make that determination at a glance. Some colleges might ask more of applicants than universities. Some universities might be smaller than certain colleges.【C20】________one can be public or private.

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