<P> Colleges and universities in the U.S. vary in terms of goals: some may emphasize a vocational, business, engineering, or technical curriculum (like polytechnic universities and land - grant universities) while others may emphasize a liberal arts curriculum . Many combine some or all of the above, being a comprehensive university . In the US, the term "college" refers to either one of three types of education institutions: stand - alone higher level education institutions that are not components of a university, including 1) community colleges, 2) liberal arts colleges, or 3) a college within a university, mostly the undergraduate institution of a university . Unlike colleges versus universities in other portions of the world, a stand - alone college is truly stand - alone and is not part of a university, and is also not affiliated with an affiliating university . </P> <P> Almost all colleges and universities are coeducational . During a dramatic transition in the 1970s, all but a handful of men's colleges started accepting women . Over 80% of the women's colleges of the 1960s have closed or merged, leaving fewer than 50 in operation . Over 100 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) operate, both private (such as Morehouse College) and public (such as North Carolina A&T State University). </P> <P> Higher education has led to the creation of accreditation organizations, independent of the government, to vouch for the quality of competing degrees . The accreditation agencies rate universities and colleges on criteria such as academic quality, the quality of their libraries, the publishing records of their faculty, the degrees which their faculty hold, and their financial solvency . Accrediting agencies have been criticized for possible conflicts of interest that lead to favorable results . Non-accredited institutions exist, but the students are not eligible for federal loans . </P> <P> Community colleges are often, though not always, two - year colleges . They have open admissions, with generally lower tuition fees than other state or private schools . Graduates receive an associate's degree, such as an Associate of Arts (A.A.), upon graduating . Many students earn an associate degree at a two - year institution before transferring to a four - year institution to complete studies for a bachelor's degree . </P>

There are three types of interdisciplinary programs in the united states