What is the difference between College and University (USA)

[freeloader]

I know Excelsior recently changed from College to University, however does that signify anything other than just a name change? 

Not really. Universities in the United States tend to be larger and to have more offerings at the graduate/post-graduate level, but this is not a hard and fast rule. 

There are “universities” that don’t grant any degrees beyond the bachelor’s and there are colleges, which are not part of universities, which have extensive and well-regarded graduate offerings. Dartmouth College and Boston College are perhaps the most notable examples of the latter. 

Of course, there are also a few “colleges” that are high schools, offering only secondary schooling, such as Philadelphia’s Gerard College. Then there are institutions like the College of Physicians in Philadelphia which is a professional organization and society, more akin to the College of Cardinals that an academic university.