With the great number of colleges that are offered in the United States, one is sometimes quick to forget about all the different colleges around the world. The idea and concept of college in America is, in some cases, significantly different to that of colleges in different countries. In order to take a better look at what the world views as collegiate, The College Answers provides the following inside looks into colleges that are not based within the United States.
United Kingdom
In the UK, college is typically something that is referred to as a bridge between secondary school and university. University is the appropriate term used in the UK as an institution of higher learning. This differentiation is becoming a little less noticeable as time goes on; there is far more overlap between universities and colleges these days than there ever used to be. Colleges are typically not the entity that awards degrees to begin with, and rather prepares the student for their degree from the University.
Australia
Similar to the United Kingdom, Australians views college as something different than a University. When discussing a college in Australia, you may be referring to the final two years of high school, if you are in Tasmania. Colleges have also come to mean the dormitories in which students live during their time at University. In some cases, like in province of Victoria, High School is referred to as secondary college, but this is a rarity. In southern parts of Australia, nearly all of the private schools in that area refer to the first year of school (1st grade) through the end of high school as College.
Canada
In Canada, the institution that bears the name of college is typically that of a community college or technical and vocational school. These type of institutions typically don't grant degrees. In Ontario, there are places called university colleges that grant only degrees to undergraduates. There are institutions in Canada that stray from this naming rule. For instance there is The Royal Military College of Canada, Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean and Royal Roads Military College. College will also refer to a specific type of coursework within a University, such as a College of Medicine or College of Education. An interesting fact about this distinction between University and College in Canada is that due to the fact that saying University versus saying College has truly different meanings, the term college radio (typically used in America) is referred to as campus radio in Canada.
India
In India, University is the common terminology when it comes to education on a higher level. When a college is referenced it is usually affiliated to a University of some kind. Within each University there are affiliated colleges that belong to it. The first liberal arts and sciences college in India was the Presidency College, Kolkata. The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are specialized institutions that award their own degrees. They are premier institutes in India. There are only seven of them at present.
South Africa
College will typically refer to secondary schooling. College also carries itself with a sense of esteem in South Africa, as the usage of this implies that the high school is private. College is a word, however, that isn't used all that often in a South African setting. In order to articulate the same meaning as college in America, one would discuss a University in South Africa. For instance, South Africa is home to the University of Witwatersrand and The University of Cape Town. These two institutions are never discussed in terms of being a college.
Spain
In Spanish speaking countries and Spain, the term college is used in reference to either primary or secondary level education and does not hold the same meaning as that in America. The word college translates as colegio and can also mean a homogenous grouping of some sort. It can refer to a group of lawyers or doctors.
Germany
In Germany a Hochschule or Universität is an institute of tertiary education. "College" is a more proper term to use than a direct translation: Hochschule literally means "high school". The term Kolleg, literally college, is used in some states for institutions of adult education where graduates of a Berufsschule can graduate with an Abitur.
So there are just a couple of the ways that a college is interpreted around the world. Keep in mind where you are when you start talking about where you go to school in America, because it may have a completely different connotation to it. Be smart. Be aware. Be the solution.
This post was originally written by Tyrone Schiff University of Michigan · Organizational Studies · 23 Aug 2007
