"J. P. Gilliver (John)" wrote in message
...
However, with the exception of where they're talking about a _specific_
(i. e. named) one, I don't think I've often heard an American speak of
"going to university"; equally, I don't think I've ever heard a Brit refer
to "going to college", unless perhaps when conversing with Americans.
(FWIW, here colleges are _mostly_ subdivisions of universities - usually
cross-subject, though in a few cases subject-specific.)

Also, colleges as separate institutions (as opposed to part of universities
such as Oxford, Cambridge and Durham) tend to offer (or used to do when I
was at university) courses that result in lower-standard qualifications such
as HNDs (Higher National Diploma) and BTECs (Business and Technology
Education Council) as opposed to degree-level BA/BSc. They tend to be
perceived to be more vocational than theoretical. And that's great: despite
recent governments trying to encourage as many school-leavers as possible to
go to university to do degree courses, the world needs plumbers,
bricklayers, joiners, etc - better that we train our own people to do these
jobs that have to bring in people from outside the UK.

Some colleges specialise in 6th form training: taking children who have left
school with lower-level GSCE (General Certificate in Secondary Education)
and teaching them a few (usually around three) subjects for A (advanced)
levels which are the entry requirement for university. This role is normally
fulfilled by secondary schools, but some children work better in an
environment when there are no younger children.

I think another distinction is that colleges tend not to offer any
accommodation and are used by people living at home with parents and who are
therefore all local to the college, whereas universities are residential:
the students leave home and live in university halls of residence or flats
(apartments) or in privately-rented flats.


Another difference of terminology: a single subject (lectures, coursework,
exams) that is studied as part of a degree tends to be referred to in the UK
as a "subject" or a "course" rather than a "program"; the latter word is
restricted to something you watch on television (when it is spelled
programme) or a set of instructions that is run on a computer (when the US
spelling is almost invariably used).