university

American  

[yoo-nuh-vur-si-tee] / ˌju 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

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• universities
  plural

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

See Examples For:

university universities

M wants his daughter to go to university, and saved every cent so they could move to Iran so she could study there.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

Many students getting their A-level and other Level 3 results might still be unsure about whether to pursue a university degree - so is it worth it?

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

In July, Italy's university and research ministry called for greater flexibility in applying the language requirement to students from conflict zones.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

His two older siblings have university degrees and both are still unemployed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

Telegrams pour into the university from terrified parents who want their children to come home.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Neither the foreign ministry nor the ministry for universities and research responded to a question from AFP about the evacuation delays.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

Public money has also flowed through state universities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

As a result, the number of exonerations nationwide increased from 25 in 1989 to 259 in 2022, according to the National Registry of Exonerations, a project operated by universities in Michigan and California.

From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026

For students at other universities, campus dining varies in affordability.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2026

Hundreds of American universities, colleges, and high schools shut down for the week as students staged impassioned protests.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

Related Words

• academy
• institution
• school