junior college

American  

noun

1. a collegiate institution offering courses only through the first one or two years of college instruction and granting a certificate of title instead of a degree.

2. a division of a college, university, or university system offering general courses during the first two years of instruction or fulfilling administrative duties applicable to freshmen and sophomores.

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junior college British  

noun

1. an educational establishment providing a two-year course that either terminates with an associate degree or is the equivalent of the freshman and sophomore years of a four-year undergraduate course

2. the junior section of a college or university

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Etymology

Origin of junior college

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

Example Sentences

The so-called secondary draft, which was discontinued six years later, was specifically targeted toward winter high school graduates, junior college players, college dropouts and amateurs who had been previously drafted but did not sign.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026

A Jordanian company had gotten him admitted to a junior college in a tiny town in Oklahoma.

From Slate • Apr. 19, 2026

All five of the team’s starters began their careers at other universities, from Arizona Western junior college to North Carolina.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

He’s also enrolled in a school entrepreneur program that involves taking classes at a junior college that will qualify for college credits.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

Central Community is the junior college on the edge of Garden Heights.

From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas