Trending articles
-
Top 5 Most Beautiful UK College ...
11 Jun, 2025
-
Campus Tour: University of Liverpool ...
09 Jun, 2025
-
Oxford Colleges – What Exactly Are ...
06 Jun, 2025
-
Navigating the UCAS Application ...
22 May, 2025
-
The Secrets of Oxford’s Streets — ...
19 May, 2025
-
Best Colleges in the UK for 2022 ...
11 Aug, 2022
Partner's ads
Colleges in the UK
Imperial College ThinkSpace
Shepherds Bush, West London, London, W12
At ThinkSpace we offer the opportunity to be part of a distinctive community and to work alongside companies involved in a variety of sectors, at every stage of their lifecycle. We attract budding
Solihull College
Solihull, West Midlands, West Midlands, B36 0NF
We pride ourselves on the diversity of our programme and our students. We offer a variety of professional and vocational courses from Animal Management to Beauty Therapy. With over 25000 full and part
City College Brighton & Hove
Brighton, East Sussex, South East England, BN1 4FA
With 13/14 success rates putting it in the top 15% highest achieving General FE and Tertiary colleges in the country for 16-18 learners at all levels and a 'Good with Outstanding Features' rating from
Civil Service College
Pimlico, South West London, London, SW1H 9BU
The British civil service is amongst the best in the world. Its capability and effectiveness are now under scrutiny. With financial constraints, coupled with challenges facing policymakers, new skills
BMC College Of Leadership
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, NG1 4EE
BMC College of Leadership was set up in 2009 to provide individuals with leadership training, development and qualifications. The BMC College of Leadership develops, and helps realise, the potential
Ashgrove College
Chingford, East London, London, E4 7BE
The College provides as extensive range of customised and one-to-one training programmes in Information Technology and Energy Assessment training. The College has a wide range of business consultancy
Concord College
Shrewsbury, Shropshire, West Midlands, SY5 7PF
Concord College is a highly academic independent international school in England for day and boarding students. We welcome students from all over the world and the local area into our vibrant and
Mid Cheshire College
Northwich, Cheshire, North West England, CW8 1LJ
Mid Cheshire College is a thriving further education college with two centres located in Hartford and Winsford. We can realistically claim to be one of the most successful colleges in the country with
St Patricks College
Banbridge, County Down, Northern Ireland, BT32 3AS
The Art and Technology Departments at St. Patrick's College celebrated their annual exhibition by inviting pupils, parents and guests to view and appreciate the many GCSE 2D and 3D outcomes.
Wirral Metropolitan College
Birkenhead, Merseyside, North West England, CH41 2YB
Liverpool is an exciting vibrant city with a large student population. Birkenhead is less than 3 miles away across the famous River Mersey. You can take a ferry, train, car or bus across the river.
Net Natives
Brighton, East Sussex, South East England, BN1 3FE
We care about the outcomes that matter to you. Not just page views and traffic. More students enrolled. More children out of care. More communities engaged. Digital advertising and social media
Moulton College
Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, East England, PE1 1XX
Our course information evening is a drop-in event where you can find out more about what Moulton College can offer you. Join us to discuss our courses and career opportunities with specialist staff,
Regents Theological College
Malvern, Worcestershire, West Midlands, WR14 4AY
Regents Theological College is one of the leading Pentecostal Bible Colleges in Europe. Regents Theological College serves also as the national training centre for the Elim Churches. The campus is set
Bristol College Of Accountancy
Bristol, South West England, South West England, BS5 6SH
We are committed to providing our students with an enriched and high quality education system through an atmosphere which is educating and refreshing at the same time, ensuring our students can focus
Dynamic Words Discipleship College
Edmonton, North London, London, N18 2NG
It is with deep pleasure that I welcome you to the website of DWDC. The greatest privilege any Christian can have is to be used by God in a special way to reach his or her generation. But how can we
Can't find your business?
Adding a business to Colleges-UK.co.uk is free.Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
- Click here to navigate to the Login page.
- If you haven't yet registered, click here to navigate to the Registration page.
- Fill all required fields.
- After you have logged in, click on "Add Business.
- After you have clicked on "Add Business", you will be redirected to another page.
- You can now fill in the details for this Business.
- Click on the "Create" button.
- Your listing will now be "pending approval".
- One of our Administrators will review your listing and decide whether to Approve or Reject it.
- Priority listing positioning for city, county, in the search results, and our home page.
- A website link on the listing page.
- Can add services with links included.
- Have access to all submitted free quotes from our visitors.
- Increase leads that you can follow up and generate sales from.
- Increase your online presence which, these days, is an indispensable commodity.
- Allow the thousands of potential customers who use the directory each month to find you.
Many students from abroad, when visiting a foreign country for an exchange year or to simply enroll at a Bachelor or Masters degree course, or another type of an educational course, often find it difficult to figure out the educational system of the country hosting them as students. And this is totally normal and understandable. At the end of the day, the majority of the countries in the world follow their own educational system that may be similar to other countries in the world, but not necessarily exactly the same.
This is a common case when it comes to the term “college” in the UK. When students from the USA and many other countries in the world are asked to define what college is, they will quickly explain to you that college is the same thing as university. However, is it the same in the UK? Did you know that college in the UK is something different from university? Today we are about to explain the basic differences between a college and an university in the UK, so stay tuned if you are interested in this topic.
The Difference Between University and College in UK
Confusion about a foreign educational system is a common thing students from abroad face and they may feel intimidated by that. However, there is no place for worries, because things are often easy to explain and get used to. This applied for the difference between a college and a university in the UK. In many countries both terms are pretty much interchangeable and mean the same thing. Other countries simply never use the term college and they have universities only. However, when it comes to the UK, there are both a college and a university as a part of the educational system and they mean something different. Well, if you are an exchange student in the UK or going there to study for a degree, you will soon find out that the country has a pretty unique educational system and the college is not the only thing different here.
Before explaining more in-depth the difference between a university and a college in the UK, let’s get some basic understanding about the educational system in the country in general, about a university, and about a college. It is a very good and important beginning if you are interested in studying in the UK and getting a degree, because there are different options and opportunities and you can choose the one that best suits and meets your requirements and needs as a student. Both a university and a college can help you develop in different ways and achieve different goals. Therefore, it is important to understand the difference between a college and a university and make the right decision, depending on your plans for the future.
In general, the UK educational system is divided in five major stages as it follows: Early years, Primary years, Secondary School, Further education, Higher education. The first three stages of education in the UK are the base of what the world knows as compulsory education. What happens at the end of secondary school is that students will sit for GCSE or A-Levels exams and next they will be free to make the decisions and choices about their future. This is the first stage, where the difference between a college and a university in the UK is very apparent. Basically, the main thing that differs a college and a university in the UK is that both terms determine a different level of education in the country.
In the most common way around the world, students will move from secondary school to a university, if they wish so. However, the UK educational system throws one more option for students in the whole mix and this is the college. UK students face a few opportunities by the end of this period and they can either decide to simply find a job right away and not to follow further education plans, they can enroll at a higher education, which is a university, if they have taken their A-Levels, or they can choose to enroll at a further education course and gain particular set of skills needed to land a specific job and start a specific career, which in the UK is referred to as a college. With these options in mind, it is safe to say that there are a bunch of differences when we compare a college and a university in the UK. The main one is that both terms are used for different levels of education, however, both a college and a university will differ in the context of degrees, duration, study curriculums, and more.
What Makes a University Different Than a College
When it comes to the UK, national universities can offer two types of degrees – undergraduate degrees and postgraduate degrees. Some universities in the country can also offer some further and specific educational courses, such as foundation degrees.
College in the UK Explained
A college is an educational institution that offers further education courses that will lead to specific qualifications and degrees. With that in mind, a college is usually assumed to offer more practical skills and qualifications. College qualifications in the UK include the following: diploma, foundation degrees, GCSE, Higher National Certificate, Higher National Diploma, International Baccalaureate.
In general, college courses in the country are designed in a way that students can obtain a certain level of skills and qualifications in a particular field. By finishing college, students are able to get a job or gain academic preparation for continuing their education at a university. A college course will also be more focused on providing students with a set of more practical skills. Therefore, a college in the country is often chosen by students, who want to obtain skills and become employable in a shorter period of time. A college will usually offer a part-time and flexible studying option besides the full-time studies that normally list last for one to two years.
The Benefits of Studying in a College
Almost two hundred thousand people in the UK are attending a college every year according to recent studies. So what makes so many people decide to continue their studies at a college? Is it beneficial to study at a college? However, it is important to mention that more students in the country prefer to attend a university over a higher education college. But still, their many benefits when it comes to a college, including:
• Lower tuition fees for a college
• Less overloaded college classes
• Study at college from home and reduce expenses
• Flexible college study programs
• Opportunity to continue with a university degree after college
• More individual support at college
College Tuition Fees
When it comes to higher education in the UK, it is pretty much costly and expensive, therefore, a college is a good option if you are on a budget. Enrolling and studying at a UK college will cost you significantly less. So if you don’t have the money for university tuition and you don’t want to rely on a student loan, a college is a good solution. College students in the UK are further encouraged by being provided with a range of merit-based and need-based bursaries.
The difference between university and college in UKWhat makes a university different than a college
College in the UK explained
The benefits of studying in a college
College tuition fees