* College: Originally, a college was a self-governing, relatively small institution focused on a specific area of study or a specific religious order, or a specific part of a university. They were often focused on undergraduate education, particularly within a specific area like arts, theology, or law. Think of them as specialized schools within a larger system.
* University: A university was a larger, more complex organization encompassing multiple colleges. It offered a broader range of studies and often had the authority to grant degrees across a wider spectrum of disciplines. Essentially, it was a collection of colleges under a single governing body, representing a more advanced and comprehensive level of higher education.
Therefore, the early university wasn't a *type* of institution separate from colleges, but rather a *system* that *included* colleges. A university *granted* degrees, while colleges *prepared* students for those degrees. This organizational structure is still reflected in the names of many universities today (e.g., University of Oxford, with its many constituent colleges).
Over time, the lines blurred. Many institutions that originally started as a single college eventually evolved to encompass multiple areas of study and gained university status, while some institutions chose to remain colleges despite offering a wide range of subjects, often in the case of smaller institutions or those focusing on a specific type of learning. The modern distinction is often based more on the breadth of programs offered, the granting of advanced degrees (particularly doctoral programs), and the overall scale of the institution, than on the strict historical definitions.