What is college within a university?

Within a university, a college is typically a constituent unit or division focusing on a specific subject area or group of related disciplines. Think of it as a smaller, more specialized school within the larger university. Colleges often have their own administration, faculty, and sometimes even their own degree-granting authority (though degrees are usually ultimately conferred by the university).

For example, a large university might have a College of Arts and Sciences, a College of Engineering, a College of Business, and a College of Medicine. Each college offers specific majors and programs related to its area of expertise. Students are usually enrolled in the university overall, but they belong to and primarily study within a specific college.

The terminology varies slightly between universities, and sometimes "school" is used interchangeably with "college," but generally, a college implies a broader and more comprehensive grouping of departments than a school might.