Meaning & use
satellite campus
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A smaller branch of a college or university that is located away from its main campus.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a satellite campus' or 'three satellite campuses'.
Patterns
- a satellite campus of something
- open a satellite campus
- study at a satellite campus
The university opened a satellite campus in the north of the city to serve more students.
She teaches at a satellite campus about an hour from the main university.
Many satellite campuses offer the same degrees as the main campus.
Word forms
| plural | satellite campuses |
|---|
Common combinations
- open a satellite campus
- The college plans to open a satellite campus in the next town.
- a satellite campus of a university
- This is a satellite campus of a large state university.
- study at a satellite campus
- He studied at a satellite campus for his first two years.
- main campus
- Students often travel between the satellite campus and the main campus.
Synonyms and how they differ
- branch campus
- Very similar; 'branch campus' is often used in official names, while 'satellite campus' is a more general description.
- extension campus
- Similar but less common; it often suggests a campus used for continuing education or outreach rather than full degree programs.
Opposites
Word family
- campus noun
- The grounds and buildings of a school, college, or university.
- satellite noun
- Something that is separate but connected to a larger thing; also a device in space.
Commonly confused: satellite campus or branch?
satellite campus vs branch
A 'branch' can be part of a company, bank, or library, not only a school. 'Satellite campus' is specific to education.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'satellite campus' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Satellite campus' refers to a branch of a college or university, so sentence 2 fits. Sentence 1 is wrong because banks have branches, not campuses; sentence 3 is wrong because a campus is not a home; sentence 4 confuses it with a spacecraft.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “satellite campus”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.