List of colloquial names for universities and colleges in the United States
Because of the large number of universities and colleges in the United States, and in some cases because of their lengthy formal names, it is common to abbreviate their names in everyday usage. Most simply, the type of institution, such as “University” or “College,” in the name may be dropped, or some component of the name abbreviated, such as “Tech” in place of “Institute of Technology” or “Technological University.”
The same nickname may apply to multiple institutions, especially in different regions, e.g. “USC” is claimed by both the University of Southern California and the University of South Carolina. The abbreviation may be non-obvious, e.g. “KU” is the University of Kansas and not “UK,” which is commonly the University of Kentucky. In some cases, the nickname may be better known, e.g. “West Point” rather than the United States Military Academy. This list of colloquial names for universities and colleges in the United States provides a lexicon of such names.
This list includes only alternative names for institutions, and not nicknames for their campuses, athletic teams, or personalities. Thus, it specifically excludes mascots and athletic team names, for which see List of U.S. college team nicknames and List of U.S. college mascots.
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C
- C of C - College of Charleston
- Cal - University of California, Berkeley
- Cal Poly - California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
- Cal Poly Pomona - California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
- Caltech - California Institute of Technology
- Cal U, CUP - California University of Pennsylvania
- Cal State - various California State University campuses
- Carolina - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of South Carolina
- Central - North Carolina Central University
- CCNY - City College of New York
- CCSU - Central Connecticut State University
- CCU - Coastal Carolina University
- Charlotte - University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- Chatt, Chattanooga - University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
- CMSU - Central Missouri State University
- City Tech - New York City College of Technology
- CMC - Claremont McKenna College
- CMU - Carnegie Mellon University, Central Michigan University
- CNU - Christopher Newport University
- Coast Guard - United States Coast Guard Academy
- College Park - University of Maryland, College Park
- CSB/SJU - College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University
- CSE - College of Saint Elizabeth
- CSU - Cleveland State University, California State University, Colorado State University
- CSULA - California State University, Los Angeles
- CSU-Pueblo - Colorado State University-Pueblo
- CU - University of Colorado at Boulder, University of Colorado system, Clemson University, Columbia University, Cornell University
- CUNY - City University of New York
- 'Cuse - Syracuse University
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S
- SC - University of Southern California, University of South Carolina
- SCU - Santa Clara University
- SCSU - South Carolina State University, Southern Connecticut State University
- SDSM&T - South Dakota School of Mines and Technology
- SDSU - San Diego State University, South Dakota State University
- SFSU - San Francisco State University
- SEMo - Southeast Missouri State University
- Sewanee - University of the South
- SIU, SIUC - Southern Illinois University Carbondale
- SIUE - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
- SJC, St. John's - St. John's College
- SJFC - Saint John Fisher College
- SJSU - San José State University
- SLU - Saint Louis University, St. Lawrence University
- SMU - Southern Methodist University
- SOSU - Southeastern Oklahoma State University
- SPU - Seattle Pacific University
- SRU - Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
- SSU - Savannah State University
- State - any of various state universities
- SU - Shenandoah University, Southern University, Stanford University, Susquehanna University, Syracuse University
- SUU - Southern Utah University
- SUNY - State University of New York system
T
U
- The U - University of Utah, University of Miami, University of Minnesota
- U of A - University of Arizona, University of Arkansas
- UA - University of Alabama
- UAA - University of Alaska Anchorage
- UAB - University of Alabama at Birmingham
- UAH - University of Alabama at Huntsville
- UALR - University of Arkansas at Little Rock
- UAM - University of Arkansas at Monticello
- UAPB - University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
- UB - University of Baltimore, University at Buffalo
- UC - University of California system, University of Chicago (also U of C), University of Cincinnati
- UCA - University of Central Arkansas
- UCD - University of Colorado Denver
- UCF -University of Central Florida (was Florida Tech)
- UCI - University of California, Irvine
- UCLA - University of California, Los Angeles
- UCO - University of Central Oklahoma
- UConn - University of Connecticut
- UCR - University of California, Riverside
- UCSB - University of California, Santa Barbara
- UCSD - University of California, San Diego
- UCSF - University of California, San Francisco
- UD - University of Delaware
- UDM - University of Detroit Mercy
- UDC - University of the District of Columbia
- U Dub - University of Washington
- UF - University of Florida
- UGA - University of Georgia
- UH - University of Hawaii, University of Houston
- U of H - University of Houston
- UHCL - University of Houston–Clear Lake
- UHD - University of Houston–Downtown
- UHS - University of Houston System
- UHV - University of Houston–Victoria
- UI, U of I - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Idaho, University of Iowa
- UIC - University of Illinois at Chicago
- UIUC - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- UK - University of Kentucky
- UM - University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, University of Miami, University of Michigan
- UMass - University of Massachusetts Amherst
- UMB - University of Maryland, Baltimore, University of Massachusetts Boston
- UMBC - University of Maryland, Baltimore County
- UMD - University of Maryland, College Park, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, University of Michigan–Dearborn, or University of Minnesota Duluth
- UMKC -University of Missouri–Kansas City
- UML - University of Massachusetts Lowell
- UNA - University of North Alabama
- UNC - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, University of Northern Colorado
- UNCG - The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
- UNCW - University of North Carolina at Wilmington
- UND - University of North Dakota
- UNF - University of North Florida
- UNH - University of New Hampshire, University of New Haven
- UNI - University of Northern Iowa (was Iowa Teachers)
- UNL - University of Nebraska–Lincoln
- UNLV - University of Nevada, Las Vegas (was Nevada Southern)
- UNM - University of New Mexico
- UNO - University of Nebraska, Omaha, University of New Orleans
- UNT - University of North Texas
- UO - University of Oregon
- UP - University of the Pacific, University of Portland
- UR or U of R - University of Richmond, University of Rochester
- URI - University of Rhode Island
- U of S - University of Scranton
- USA - University of South Alabama
- USAFA - United States Air Force Academy
- USAO - University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma
- USC - University of Southern California, University of South Carolina
- USCA - University of South Carolina Aiken
- USD - University of San Diego
- USF - University of San Francisco, University of South Florida
- USFCA - University of San Francisco
- USI - University of Southern Indiana
- USM - University of Southern Maine, The University of Southern Mississippi
- UT - University of Tennessee, University of Texas at Austin University of Tampa
- UTA - University of Texas at Arlington
- UTB/TSC - University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College
- UTD - University of Texas at Dallas
- UTEP - University of Texas at El Paso (was Texas Western)
- UTPB - University of Texas of the Permian Basin
- UTSA - University of Texas at San Antonio
- UVA - University of Virginia
- UVM - University of Vermont
- UVU - Utah Valley University
- UW - University of Washington, University of Wyoming, University of Wisconsin system, University of Wisconsin–Madison,
- UWF - University of West Florida
- UWGB - University of Wisconsin–Green Bay
- UWM - University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
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