College

A college (Latin: collegium) is an educational institution. Within higher education, it may be a part of a collegiate university, an academic division within a university, or a standalone institution providing undergraduate education (and sometimes awarding academic degrees). It may also be an institution providing further education, vocational education, or secondary education.

In most of the world, a college may be a high school or secondary school, a college of further education, a training institution that awards trade qualifications, a higher-education provider that does not have university status (often without its own degree-awarding powers), or a constituent part of a university. In the United States, a college may offer undergraduate programs – either as an independent institution or as the undergraduate program of a university – or it may be a residential college of a university or a community college, referring to (primarily public) higher-education institution that aim to provide affordable and accessible education, usually limited to two-year associate degrees. The word "college" is also commonly used as a synonym for a university in the United States, and in phrases such as "college students" or "going to college" it is understood to mean any degree granting institution, whether denominated a school, an institute, a college, or a university.

Colleges in countries such as France, Belgium, and Switzerland provide secondary education.