University Definition, Origin, History, & Facts

University, institution of higher education, usually comprising a college of liberal arts and sciences and graduate and professional schools and having the authority to confer degrees in various fields of study. A university differs from a college in that it is usually larger, has a broader curriculum, and offers graduate and professional degrees (master’s and doctorates), professional degrees, in addition to undergraduate degrees (such as the bachelor’s degree). Although universities did not arise in the West until the Middle Ages in Europe, they existed in some parts of Asia and Africa in ancient times.

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Princeton brings together undergraduate and graduate students from all backgrounds, and every corner of the earth, to share their experiences and perspectives with one another. With more than 220 degree programs in 13 colleges, UCF provides an education for your future, today. As a comprehensive public research university, ASU is committed to providing excellence in education through the Academic Enterprise, and enables the success of each unique student and increases access to higher education for all. The University at Buffalo, New York State’s flagship, is consistently recognized as one of the world's most exceptional, most affordable universities, making it a top choice for students and faculty around the globe.

Meaning of university in English

The 20th edition of the QS World University Rankings features 1,500 institutions across 104 locations and is the only ranking of its kind to emphasise employability and sustainability. An increasing number of business schools now require essays in video format for successful admission. To learn more about what makes a stand-out response, we spoke to the admissions team from McCombs School of Business and MIT’s Sloan School of Management. We list ten exciting careers to explore with your science, technology, engineering or mathematics degree.

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Our Sub-Saharan Africa mashreq university Rankings combine aspects of our impact, research and teaching rankings to explore how universities in Africa can deliver on the challenges of the UN SDGs and Agenda 2063. We caught up with the lucky recipient of this year’s QS World Merit Undergraduate Scholarship and got her top tips for scholarship application success. By the 18th century, universities published their own research journals and by the 19th century, the German and the French university models had arisen. Our approach to learning combines the best aspects of a great research university and an outstanding liberal arts college.

Others say student loan debt is crippling for college graduates and forces students to delay adult milestones like marriage. Some argue the NCAA, colleges, and universities profit unfairly and exorbitantly from the work and likenesses of college athletes, who are risking their bodies as well as their future careers and earning potential while often living below the poverty line. In Canada, college generally refers to a two-year, non-degree-granting institution, while university connotes a four-year, degree-granting institution. More than 32% of undergraduates supplement their academic studies with an international experience, such as field study, cultural immersion or exchange abroad. Our faculty collaborate with organizations and scholars around the world to advance research.

The first university to arise in northern Europe was the University of Paris, founded between 1150 and 1170. It became noted for its teaching of theology, and it served as a model for other universities in northern Europe such as the University of Oxford in England, which was well established by the end of the 12th century. The Universities of Paris and Oxford were composed of colleges, which were actually endowed residence halls for scholars. Until the 19th century, religion played a significant role in university curriculum; however, the role of religion in research universities decreased during that century. By the end of the 19th century, the German university model had spread around the world. Universities concentrated on science in the 19th and 20th centuries and became increasingly accessible to the masses.

Every year, QS Impact awards scholarships to deserving students from around the world. Meet some of this year's winners and discover how you can apply for a QS Impact scholarship. By the end of the early modern period, the structure and orientation of higher education had changed in ways that are eminently recognizable for the modern context. Aristotle was no longer a force providing the epistemological and methodological focus for universities and a more mechanistic orientation was emerging.

As a community partner, we invest in Chicago’s South Side across such areas as health, education, economic growth, and the arts. Harvard faculty, students, and alumni are exploring, researching, and empowering architecture around the globe. In the fall of 1932, photographer William Rittase visited Harvard’s campus and captured more than 87 black-and-white photos. Nearly 90 years later, Harvard staff photographer Stephanie Mitchell recreated nine of his photos to explore what’s changed and what hasn’t.

They are explicitly recognised as such by law and cannot be founded without government approval. The term Universität (i.e. the German term for university) is protected by law and any use without official approval is a criminal offense. Most of them are public institutions, though a few private universities exist. Apart from these universities, Germany has other institutions of higher education (Hochschule, Fachhochschule).