What are the differences between universities and colleges in the UK?

There is no exact definition of the difference between colleges and universities and the two often blur. However, there are a number of key common differences between them. Universities are generally much larger (often with over 20,000 students) and offer a wide variety of different courses. In contrast, colleges are generally smaller and tend to focus in one area of study.

Universities are independent institutions that award their own degree certificates and must do a certain amount of research to maintain this standard. Colleges on the other hand are often attached to a university (though remain separate institutions) and because they do not have the same research facilities, often do not offer PhDs.