University vs. Institute

Main Difference

The main difference between University and Institute is that the University is a academic institution for further education and Institute is a organisational body created for a certain purpose

• University

  A university (Latin: universitas, “a whole”) is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in various academic disciplines. Universities typically provide undergraduate education and postgraduate education.

  The word “university” is derived from the Latin universitas magistrorum et scholarium, which roughly means “community of teachers and scholars.” While antecedents had existed in Asia and Africa, the modern university system has roots in the European medieval university, which was created in Italy and evolved from Christian Cathedral schools for the clergy during the High Middle Ages.

• Institute

  An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose.

  Often they are research organisations (research institutions) created to do research on specific topics. An institute can also be a professional body, or one involved in adult education, see Mechanics’ Institutes.

  In some countries institutes can be part of a university or other institutions of higher education, either as a group of departments or an autonomous educational institution without a traditional university status such as a “university Institute”. (See Institute of Technology)

  The word “institute” comes from the Latin word institutum meaning “facility” or “habit”; from instituere meaning “build”, “create”, “raise” or “educate”.

  In some countries, such as South Korea and Japan, private schools are sometimes referred to as institutes, rather than schools. In Spain secondary schools are referred to as institutes.