Colleges are smaller institutions that offer undergraduate degrees in a variety of subjects. As a result, many students attend college for four years and graduate with a bachelor's degree.
Some colleges may also offer postgraduate degrees in specialized fields; however, this is not as common as it is at universities.
Universities typically offer a variety of both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, including bachelor's degrees and master's degrees. In addition, universities usually offer Ph.D.'s in certain areas of study. Universities are often larger than colleges and may have numerous departments and divisions within each department. Many universities also have hospitals associated with them to provide medical care to patients.
Sometimes the difference between a college and a university is the depth and breadth of course offerings as well as the specialised options offered to students.
Another difference between colleges and universities is the cost of tuition. Many universities are more expensive than colleges because they have higher operating costs. For example, universities tend to have more buildings, more teachers and professors, and more sports programs than colleges do.