When should you capitalize universities in a sentence?

You capitalize the names of universities (and colleges) just like you capitalize proper nouns. This means you capitalize:

* The full name: University of California, Berkeley; Harvard University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

* Abbreviations: UCLA; MIT; USC

You do *not* capitalize the generic word "university" unless it's part of a proper noun:

* Correct: I attended the University of Michigan.

* Correct: She's applying to several universities.

* Incorrect: I attended the University Of Michigan. (unless it's a stylized logo)

* Incorrect: She's applying to Several Universities.

In short, capitalize the official name, but not the general term "university".