Meaning & use
college vs collegiate
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Meanings
nouncountable
A place where students go after high school to study for a degree, or a part of a university.
Grammar: Countable noun; can be used with 'a' or in the plural 'colleges'.
Patterns
- go to college
- a college student
- at college
She plans to go to college next year.
The college offers courses in engineering and art.
He met his wife when they were both at college.
adjectivebefore a noun
Relating to a college or its students; typical of college life.
Grammar: Adjective used before a noun: collegiate sports, collegiate atmosphere.
Patterns
- collegiate sports
- collegiate life
- a collegiate style
The university is known for its strong collegiate sports teams.
She enjoyed the collegiate atmosphere of the small campus.
Collegiate debates are held every spring.
Common combinations
- college education
- A college education can open many doors.
- collegiate level
- He plays basketball at the collegiate level.
- college campus
- The college campus is beautiful in autumn.
- collegiate dictionary
- A collegiate dictionary is designed for high school and college students.
Synonyms and how they differ
- university
- A university is usually larger and offers graduate degrees, while a college may be smaller or part of a university.
- academic
- Academic relates to study and thinking; collegiate specifically relates to college life or institutions.
Word family
- collegiate adjective
- Relating to college.
- college noun
- An institution of higher learning.
Commonly confused: college vs collegiate or collegiate?
college vs collegiate vs collegiate
Remember: 'college' is the noun (a place), 'collegiate' is the adjective (describing something related to college).
Practice
Which sentence uses 'collegiate' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Collegiate' is an adjective, so it correctly describes 'rowing team' in option D. The other options use 'collegiate' as a noun, which is wrong; they should use 'college'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “college vs collegiate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.