junior college

noun

1. a collegiate institution offering courses only through the first one or two years of college instruction and granting a certificate of title instead of a degree.
2. a division of a college, university, or university system offering general courses during the first two years of instruction or fulfilling administrative duties applicable to freshmen and sophomores.

junior college

noun

1. an educational establishment providing a two-year course that either terminates with an associate degree or is the equivalent of the freshman and sophomore years of a four-year undergraduate course
2. the junior section of a college or university

Word History and Origins

Origin of junior college¹

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

Example Sentences

They are a professional team renting space at a junior college, and the optics are terrible.

From Los Angeles Times

The kid from Compton who’d bounced around four high schools, a junior college and a Division II program was a second-round pick of the reigning Super Bowl champions.

From Los Angeles Times

Nicholson had only really entertained the thought of leaving home once before, committing out of junior college in 2021 to Kentucky.

From Los Angeles Times

Simpson then played two seasons at City College of San Francisco, becoming a two-way junior college star.

From Seattle Times

The Huskies added junior college transfer Bryce Butler, a former Arizona commit.

From Seattle Times