Prestige is generally associated with private colleges. These institutions rely on tuition, fees and private sources for funding. Private colleges are generally smaller; offering more personalized attention than you would receive in a public institution. Tuition is the same for all students no matter the state in which they reside. Public institutions receive funding from the state and local government. Tuition differs for in-state and out-of-state students, with in-state students seeing lower tuition costs.
There are many different types of colleges to choose from. The benefit of attending a college as opposed to a university is size. Colleges are generally smaller, offering more personalized attention to students. Community colleges, also known as junior colleges, let students approach their college experience in smaller chunks, with a two-year degree being the norm. Students earn an associate degree or career-oriented certification, allowing them to enter the workforce upon graduation or go on to complete a bachelor's degree at a four-year institution. Attending a community college can save money, as the courses offered are comparable to freshman and sophomore classes at four-year institutions, at a fraction of the cost.
Traditional four-year colleges offer students the opportunity to earn a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science in their chosen field. Colleges also offer more specialized institutions, such as liberal arts colleges. Liberal arts colleges are small, four-year institutions that offer a steady diet of the arts, humanities and social sciences.
Universities are large, public institutions. Within a university, there are different schools that usually include a liberal arts college as well as other specialized colleges and graduate programs. Students earn a bachelor of science or bachelor of arts in a typical four-year time span. Tuition costs are lower for students when attending a university in the state in which they are a resident. The benefit of attending such a large institution is variety. There are many courses and majors to choose from, as well as large lecture halls and research facilities. Class sizes are usually large lectures that are sometimes taught by graduate students. Once a student has earned his bachelor's degree, he can then move on to earn his Master's degree, which can take a year or more.
When you know early on the exact career that you wish to pursue, specialized colleges and universities can provide the type of training and education needed in a specific field. Specialized schools include agricultural, technical, business, seminary, rabbinical, art, music, military, nursing, as well as engineering and health science schools.