# college

Pronunciation: say "KOL-ij" /ˈkɒlɪd͡ʒ/

## Noun

1. An institution of higher education where students study for a degree; in the US, Ireland and the Philippines also used of any university, as in 'go to college'. *(US, Ireland, Philippines)*
   - Simple: A school after high school where people study for a degree. In the US and some other countries, any university.
   - _She applied to several colleges along the East Coast._
   - _After two years at college, he transferred to a state university._
2. A specialized division within a university, focused on a particular field of study.
   - Simple: A part of a university that teaches one main subject area.
   - _He earned his degree from the university's college of engineering._
   - _After twenty years as a nurse, she was named dean of the university's college of nursing._
3. A postsecondary institution, distinct from a university, that mainly offers vocational and applied programs leading to diplomas or certificates; some also grant degrees. *(Canada)*
   - Simple: A school after high school, not a university, that mostly teaches job skills and gives diplomas.
   - _In Canada, many students choose a college over a university because its two-year diplomas lead straight to jobs in the trades and health care._
   - _The college trains students for careers in plumbing and electrical work._
8. A body of electors chosen to formally select a high official, especially a head of state.
   - Simple: A group of people chosen to vote for someone on behalf of others, such as a president.
   - _In the US, the president is formally chosen by the electoral college, so a candidate can lose the popular vote and still win._
   - _When Germany chooses a president, an electoral college made up of federal lawmakers and state delegates meets in Berlin._
4. A largely self-governing division of a university, not limited to one field of study, with its own teaching staff, library, and other facilities. *(UK)*
   - Simple: A part of a university that partly runs itself, with its own teachers and library, for students of many subjects.
   - _Each college within the university admits its own undergraduates and chooses its own fellows._
   - _Students dine and study within their own colleges before lectures._
5. An organized body of people who share a profession, duties or purpose, such as the College of Cardinals or a royal college of doctors.
   - Simple: A group of people with the same job or purpose who work together, like a group of doctors or church leaders.
   - _The College of Cardinals gathered in Rome to elect the new pope._
   - _Members of the medical college vote on changes to professional standards._
6. In Britain, Australia, Ireland and some other countries, a school, usually a secondary one and often private and fee-paying, especially as part of its name. *(Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, UK)*
   - Simple: In the UK, Australia and elsewhere, a school for older children, often a private one, as in many school names.
   - _Her parents paid high fees to send her to a private girls' college in Dublin from the age of twelve._
   - _Both colleges in the town take pupils up to the age of eighteen._
7. In Britain, a place of further education below university level, such as a sixth-form college or a local college offering courses to adults. *(UK)*
   - Simple: In the UK, a school for people aged 16 and over that is not a university, including adults learning new skills.
   - _After her GCSEs, she moved on to college to study for her A-levels._
   - _Two nearby colleges offer sixth-form courses in science._
9. A residential hall attached to a university, chiefly a place where students live rather than a division that teaches them for their degree, sometimes with its own tutors. *(Australia)*
   - Simple: A building where university students live, sometimes with their own teachers.
   - _He shares a room with two friends in his college._
   - _The residential colleges host dinners and social events each term._

## Other meanings

- (noun) In Singapore, short for junior college: a pre-university school that students attend for two years after finishing secondary school.
- (noun) In Chile, a bilingual school, where students are taught their lessons in two languages.

## Origin

From Middle English college, borrowed from Middle French and Old French college, from Latin collēgium. It is a doublet of collegium.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/college (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).