What’s the difference?

In England, for instance, a college is one of two things. It can be the school a student moves on to after finishing secondary school, to prepare for university. Or a college is a residential hall within a university. A student applies to a specific college within a university, like King’s College, Cambridge. The college has a dining hall and a resident tutor or tutors, who are university faculty members. The applicant might choose a particular college because it has a reputation for a strength in a specific subject. But when a student graduates, he or she receives a diploma from the university, not from the college.

In the US, a college is an undergraduate institution. It grants Bachelor degrees – Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, perhaps Bachelor of Fine Arts – but for the most part, not graduate degrees.

Some might grant Master’s degrees in a narrow range of subjects in which they specialize, but for the most part, students who want a Master’s or PhD move on to another program, elsewhere. Colleges do usually expect faculty members to publish work or research, but they prioritize teaching.

A university is usually bigger than a college. It grants Master’s and PhDs in many subjects.

Some universities prioritize teaching by faculty members, some research. At some universities, especially those that prioritize publishing original writings or research, there can be faculty members who only do research and supervise the research of graduate students, but never teach undergraduate classes. So if there’s a particular famous faculty member whose work a prospective student admires, or knows by reputation, we need to check whether that teacher ever actually teaches an undergraduate course, and how many people can take it at one time.
Both universities and colleges are casually referred to as schools, even though the students have completed elementary and secondary school.

Big classes, small classes

There are some classes, introductory science courses for instance, that will almost always be big, and be taught in the lecture format, with labs in smaller groups. At many universities, these big classes are often taught by teaching assistants who are graduate students. At colleges that don’t have graduate programs, even the introductory courses are usually taught by faculty members. Some universities do pride themselves, though, on having faculty members teach introductory courses. There is no strict rule about this, but classes tend to be smaller, the higher the level.
If you are a student who wants a lot of individual attention, there are schools that pride themselves on small classes. Some even offer independent studies guided by faculty members, usually for students who are nearing the completion of their degree. If you are very self-motivated, you might not care how small the classes are, or how many hours per week the teacher has office hours where one can go and ask questions and discuss difficulties.

Styles of classes

These are the basic styles of classes available:

• Lectures – they can be large or small. Students may have the opportunity to ask questions, but not much back and forth discussion between students and teacher takes place.
• Seminars – these are usually small, or small-ish classes where there is much discussion amongst the faculty member and students.
• Labs and studios – these are hands-on, direct experience in science or art courses.
• Field work – this is direct experience that takes place off campus. It is usually for a physical science class like geology, botany, or oceanography, or a social science course like anthropology.