- published: 14 Apr 2016
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A college (Latin: collegium) is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage of the word college varies in English-speaking nations. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, an institution within a university, an institution offering vocational education, or a secondary school.
In the United States and Ireland, "college" and "university" are loosely interchangeable, whereas in the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and other Commonwealth nations, "college" may refer to a secondary or high school, a college of further education, a training institution that awards trade qualifications, or a constituent school within a university.
In ancient Rome a collegium was a club or society, a group of persons living together, under a common set of rules (con- = "together" + leg- = "law" or lego = "I choose").
There are secondary schools that have "college" as part of their name. In Australia, this usage varies between the different states. In all states there are independent schools called "college". In the state of Victoria, some state high schools are referred to as secondary colleges. In Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory, "college" is used in the name of all state high schools built since the late 1990s, and also some older ones. In New South Wales, some high schools, especially multi-campus schools resulting from mergers, are known as "secondary colleges". In Queensland some newer schools which accept primary and high school students are styled state college, but state schools offering only secondary education are called "State High School". In Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, "college" refers to the final two years of high school (years 11 and 12), and the institutions which provide this. In this context, "college" is a system independent of the other years of high school. Here, the expression is a shorter version of matriculation college.