University

==Classification==
{{Further|Category:Higher education by country}}
[[File:Interior, National Library of Finland, 2019 (01).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Interior of the [[National Library of Finland]], which is part of the [[University of Helsinki]]]]
The definition of a university varies widely, even within some countries. Where there is clarification, it is usually set by a government agency. For example:

In Australia, the [[Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency]] (TEQSA) is Australia's independent national regulator of the higher education sector. Students rights within university are also protected by the Education Services for Overseas Students Act (ESOS).

In the United States there is no nationally standardized definition for the term ''university'', although the term has traditionally been used to designate [[research institution]]s and was once reserved for doctorate-granting research institutions. Some states, such as [[Massachusetts]], will only grant a school "university status" if it grants at least two [[doctoral degree]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mass.edu/forinstitutions/academic/documents/610CMR.pdf |title=Massachusetts Board of Education: Degree-granting regulations for independent institutions of higher education |access-date=28 May 2010 |archive-date=27 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527211749/http://www.mass.edu/forinstitutions/academic/documents/610CMR.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the United Kingdom, the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]] is responsible for approving the use of the word ''university'' in the name of an institution, under the terms of the [[Further and Higher Education Act 1992]].<ref name="privy">{{Cite web|url=http://www.privy-council.org.uk/output/Page27.asp |title=Higher Education |access-date=6 December 2007 |publisher=[[Privy Council Office (United Kingdom)|Privy Council Office]] |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090223084511/http://www.privy-council.org.uk/output/Page27.asp |archive-date= 23 February 2009}}</ref>

In India, a new designation [[deemed university|deemed universities]] has been created for institutions of higher education that are not universities, but work at a very high standard in a specific area of study ("An Institution of Higher Education, other than universities, working at a very high standard in specific area of study, can be declared by the Central Government on the advice of the [[University Grants Commission (India)|University Grants Commission]] as an Institution (Deemed-to-be-university). Institutions that are 'deemed-to-be-university' enjoy the academic status and the privileges of a university.<ref>{{cite web|title=Deemed University|url=http://mhrd.gov.in/deemed-university|website=mhrd.gov.in|publisher=MHRD|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151207204836/http://mhrd.gov.in/deemed-university|archive-date=7 December 2015}}</ref> Through this provision many schools that are commercial in nature and have been established just to exploit the demand for higher education have sprung up.<ref>{{Cite web |author=— Peter Drucker |url=http://learnhub.com/news/1254- |title='Deemed' status distributed freely during Arjun Singh's tenure - LearnHub News |publisher=Learnhub.com |access-date=29 July 2010 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100707120057/http://learnhub.com/news/1254- |archive-date=7 July 2010  }}</ref>

In Canada, ''college'' generally refers to a two-year, non-degree-granting institution, while ''university'' connotes a four-year, degree-granting institution. Universities may be sub-classified (as in the [[Rankings of universities in Canada|Macleans rankings]]) into large research universities with many PhD-granting programs and medical schools (for example, [[McGill University]]); "comprehensive" universities that have some PhDs but are not geared toward research (such as [[University of Waterloo|Waterloo]]); and smaller, primarily undergraduate universities (such as [[St. Francis Xavier University|St. Francis Xavier]]).

In Germany, universities are institutions of higher education which have the power to confer bachelor, master and PhD degrees. 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. Such universities are always research universities. Apart from these universities, Germany has other institutions of higher education (Hochschule, {{lang|de|[[Fachhochschule]]}}). {{lang|de|Fachhochschule}} means a higher education institution which is similar to the former [[Polytechnic (United Kingdom)|polytechnics]] in the British education system, the English term used for these German institutions is usually 'university of applied sciences'. They can confer master's degrees but no PhDs. They are similar to the model of [[teaching universities]] with less research and the research undertaken being highly practical. Hochschule can refer to various kinds of institutions, often specialised in a certain field (e.g. music, fine arts, business). They might or might not have the power to award PhD degrees, depending on the respective government legislation. If they award PhD degrees, their rank is considered equivalent to that of universities proper (Universität), if not, their rank is equivalent to universities of applied sciences.