▁authority — for ▁example , ▁The ▁College ▁of ▁William ▁& ▁Mary ▁has ▁a ▁Royal ▁Char ter ▁from ▁the ▁British ▁mon archy ▁allowing ▁it ▁to ▁confer ▁degrees ▁while ▁D art mouth ▁College ▁has ▁a ▁char ter ▁perm itting ▁it ▁to ▁award ▁degrees ▁" as ▁are ▁usually ▁granted ▁in ▁either ▁of ▁the ▁univers ities , ▁or ▁any ▁other ▁college ▁in ▁our ▁real m ▁of ▁Great ▁Britain ." ▁ ▁The ▁leaders ▁of ▁Harvard ▁College ▁( which ▁granted ▁America ' s ▁first ▁degrees ▁in ▁ 1 6 4 2 ) ▁might ▁have ▁thought ▁of ▁their ▁college ▁as ▁the ▁first ▁of ▁many ▁resident ial ▁colleg es ▁that ▁would ▁grow ▁up ▁into ▁a ▁New ▁Cambridge ▁university . ▁However , ▁over ▁time , ▁few ▁new ▁colleg es ▁were ▁founded ▁there , ▁and ▁Harvard ▁grew ▁and ▁added ▁higher ▁fac ult ies . ▁Event ually , ▁it ▁changed ▁its ▁title ▁to ▁university , ▁but ▁the ▁term ▁" col lege " ▁had ▁stuck ▁and ▁" col leg es " ▁have ▁ar isen ▁across ▁the ▁United ▁States . ▁ ▁In ▁U . S . ▁usage , ▁the ▁word ▁" col lege " ▁emb od ies ▁not ▁only ▁a ▁particular ▁type ▁of ▁school , ▁but ▁has ▁histor ically ▁been ▁used ▁to ▁refer ▁to ▁the ▁general ▁concept ▁of ▁higher ▁education ▁when ▁it ▁is ▁not ▁necessary ▁to ▁specify ▁a ▁school , ▁as ▁in ▁" going ▁to ▁college " ▁or ▁" col lege ▁sav ings ▁accounts " ▁offered ▁by ▁banks . ▁ ▁In ▁a ▁survey ▁of ▁more ▁than ▁ 2 , 0 0 0 ▁college ▁students ▁in ▁