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.
The type of institution, such as "University" or "College," may be dropped, or some component of it 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. For example, "SC" is claimed by both the University of Southern California and the University of South Carolina.
The abbreviation may be non-obvious. For example, "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 than the formal name. For example, "West Point" for the United States Military Academy or "UCLA" for the University of California, Los Angeles.
This list of colloquial names for universities and colleges in the United States provides a lexicon of such names. It includes only alternative names for institutions, not nicknames for their campuses, athletic teams or personalities. Thus it specifically excludes mascots and athletic team names. To see those lists, please go to:
A
- AECOM
- AFA
- AFIT
- AIC
- Annapolis
- A&M
- Texas A&M University
- Also others:see A&M
- A&M-CC or A&M-Corpus Christi
- A&T
- APSU
- ALASU
- Army
- ASU
- APU
- AU
- AUM
- App State
B
- Bama
- BC
- BCC
- Berkeley
- BGSU
- BHSU
- BJU
- BMC
- Bona
- Brown
- BSC
- BSU
- BW
- BU
- BYU
C
- CBU
- C of C
- Cal
- Cal Poly
- California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
- Cal Poly Pomona
- Caltech
- Cal State
- California State University (various campuses)
- Carolina
- Catholic
- Central
- CC
- CCNY
- CCSU
- CCU
- CCV
- CGU
- Chapel Hill
- Charlotte
- Chatt or Chattanooga
- Chatt State
- Chico State
- City Tech
- CIA
- CMC
- CMU
- CNU
- Coast Guard
- College Park
- Colorado Springs
- Conn
- CPP
- CSB/SJU
- CSI
- CSU
- CSUF
- CSUEB
- California State University, East Bay (formerly California State University, Hayward)
- CSULA
- CSULB
- CSU-Pueblo
- CSUS
- CU
- CUA
- CUD
- Cumberlands
- CUNY
- 'Cuse
- CWRU
- CWU
D
- DBU
- DC
- De Anza
- DPU
- DSU
- DU
- Duke
E
- ECSU
- ECU
- EIU
- EMU
- EMU
- ENC
- ESU
- ETBU
- ETSU
- EWU
- EKU
F
- F&M
- FAMU
- FAU
- FDU
- FGCU
- FHSU
- FIT
- FIU
- Florida Tech
- Foothill
- FPU
- Fresno State
- FSU
- FU
G
- GAC
- GB
- GC&SU or GCSU
- GCU
- Georgia College
- GMU
- Georgia Tech
- GGC
- GONZ
- GSU
- GT
- GVSU
- GW or GWU
- GU
H
- HC
- HIU
- Hampton University (formerly Hampton Institute)
- HMC
- Hopkins
- HU
- HU
- HSC or H-SC
- HSU
I
- IC
- IIT
- IPFW
- ISU
- IU
- IUP
- Indiana University of Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania)
- IUPUI
- IWU
- IW
J
- JBU
- JCSU
- JHU
- JMU
- JWU
- JSU
- JU
- Jax st or J'ville st
- Jacksonville State University (Alabama)
K
L
- LA Tech
- LC
- LETU
- LHU
- LIU
- LMU
- Long Beach State
- LSU
- LSSU
- LTU
- LU
- LUC
M
- Madison
- Mary Wash
- Mason
- MCLA
- Memphis
- Merchant Marine, Kings Point
- Metro State
- MHC or MoHo
- Midd
- Milwaukee
- Missouri S&T
- MIT
- Mizzou
- MMC
- Mt. SAC
- MSU
- MTSU
- MTU
- MU
- Mudd
- MVille
- MVSU
- MUW
N
- Navy
- NAU
- NCCU
- NCSU
- NC A&T
- ND
- NDSU
- NEU
- NCB
- NCF
- Newport News
- NIU
- NJIT
- NKU
- NMSU
- NMU
- NoDak
- Nova
- NSU
- Norfolk State University
- Northern State University (South Dakota)
- Northeastern State University (Oklahoma)
- Northwestern State University (Louisiana)
- Nova Southeastern University
- NU
- NVU
- NWMSU
- NYIT
- New York Institute of Technology (aka New York Tech)
- NYMC
- NYU
O
- OC
- OBU
- OCC
- OCU
- ODU
- OIT
- OK State
- Ole Miss
- ONU
- ORU
- OSU
- OU
- Oxy
P
- Pacific
- PC
- PCC
- Penn
- Penn State
- PennWest
- Pitt
- PLNU
- POM
- PSU
- PTS
- PVAMU
Q
- QC
- Queens College, City University of New York (aka Queens College)
- Quincy College
- QU
R
S
- Sacramento State / Sac State
- SBU
- SC
- SCSU
- Scripps
- SCU
- SDSM&T
- SDSU
- SeattleU
- SEMo
- SEU
- Sewanee:
- Sewanee: The University of the South (aka University of the South)
- SFSU
- SHC
- SIU or SIUC
- SIUE
- SJC
- SJFU
- SJSU
- SJU
- SLU
- SMC
- SMU
- SNHU
- SOSU
- SPU
- SRU
- Stanislaus State or Stan State
- SSU
- State
- any of various state universities
- SU
- SUNO
- SUU
- SUNY
- State University of New York system
- SVSU
- Swat
- SWOSU
T
- TAMU
- TAMUCC
- TCNJ
- TCU
- Tech
- any various "Institute of Technology," "Tech University," "Polytechnic," etc.
See:
List of institutions using the term "institute of technology" or "polytechnic"
- any various "Institute of Technology," "Tech University," "Polytechnic," etc.
- Transy
- TSU
- TTU
- TU
- t.u.
- TxSt
U
- The U
- U of A
- U of U
- UA
- UAA
- UAB
- UAF
- UAH
- UALR
- UAM
- UAPB
- UB
- U of C
- UC
- UC Berkeley
- UC Davis
- UC Irvine
- UCA
- UCCS
- UCD
- UCF
- University of Central Florida (formerly Florida Tech)
- UChicago
- UCI
- UCLA
- UCM
- UCO
- UConn
- UCR
- UCSB
- UCSD
- UCSF
- UD
- UDM
- UDC
- U Dub
- UF
- UGA
- UH
- U of H
- UHCL
- UHD
- UHS
- UHV
- UI or U of I
- UIC
- UIUC
- UK
- ULM
- UL
- U of L
- U of M
- UMass
- UMB
- UMBC
- UMD
- UMGC
- UMich
- UMKC
- UML
- UMO
- UMW
- UNA
- UNC
- UNCC
- UNCG
- UNCW
- UND
- UNF
- UNH
- UNI
- University of Northern Iowa (formerly Iowa Teachers)
- Union
- UNK
- UNL
- UNLV
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas (formerly Nevada Southern)
- UNM
- UNO
- UNR
- UNT
- UO
- UOP
- UoPeople
- UP
- UPenn
- UPIKE
- UR or U of R
- URI
- U of S
- USA
- USAFA
- USAO
- USC
- USCA
- USD
- USF
- USFCA
- USI
- USM
- USU
- UT
- UTA
- UTB
- UTC
- UTD
- UTEP
- University of Texas at El Paso (formerly Texas Western)
- UTHSCT
- UTM
- UTPB
- UTRGV
- UTSA
- U of U
- UVA
- UVM
- UVU
- UW
- UWF
- UWG
- UWGB
- UWM
V
- Valpo
- Vandy
- VCU
- Virginia Tech
- VMI
- VPI
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (An abbreviation of the university official name, though not actively used by the university)
- VSU
- VT
- VTC
- VTSU
- VU
- VUU
W
- WCU
- W&J
- W&L
- W&M
- WashU or Wash U
- Wazzu
- WC
- WCU
- West Point
- United States Military Academy (aka Army)
- Western
- WFU
- WGU
- Williams
- WIU
- WKU
- WMU
- WPI
- WSU
- WSSU
- WTAMU
- WU
- WUSTL
- WVU
- WVUP
- WWC
- WWU