university

American  

[yoo-nuh-vur-si-tee] / ˌyu nəˈvɜr sɪ ti /

noun

universities plural

1. an institution of learning of the highest level, having a college of liberal arts and a program of graduate studies together with several professional schools, as of theology, law, medicine, and engineering, and authorized to confer both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Continental European universities usually have only graduate or professional schools.

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university British  

/ ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːsɪtɪ /

noun

1. an institution of higher education having authority to award bachelors' and higher degrees, usually having research facilities

2. the buildings, members, staff, or campus of a university

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Other Word Forms

• antiuniversity
  adjective
• counteruniversity
  noun
• interuniversity
  adjective
• nonuniversity
  noun
• preuniversity
  adjective
• prouniversity
  adjective
• universitarian
  noun

Etymology

Origin of university

1250–1300; Middle English universite < Old French < Medieval Latin ūniversitās, Late Latin: guild, corporation, Latin: totality, equivalent to ūnivers ( us ) ( see universe) + -itās -ity

Compare meaning

How does university compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• State College vs. university

Explanation

A university is a big school where you go to get a degree — maybe even a master’s or PhD. If you’re going to a university, you’re probably on a big campus that also offers housing for students and professors. Just like the word universe (“the whole world”), university comes from the Latin word universus, meaning "whole, entire." So think of a university as being sort of a world of its own — an institute of higher education where you live and study. A university generally offers advanced degrees and research opportunities in many fields. Sometimes college and university are used to mean the same thing, but colleges are typically smaller and more limited in scope than universities.

Example Sentences

Some marchers carried Serbian flags or ones representing their university faculty, while others who had travelled from around the country held banners with the names of their towns.

From Barron's • May 23, 2026

IBM’s plan is to get quantum computers in the hands of as many students, university researchers, national labs and other enterprises as possible.

From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026

One of us leads a private research university on the East Coast.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026

Obviously, none of that means this is a universal sentiment within university bodies.

From Slate • May 20, 2026

From their habit of strolling around the campus of a great university or through the streets of the city while discussing such issues, the old school of ‘scientific’ philosophy was known as the peripatetic school.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Related Words

• academy
• institution
• school