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."

List of colloquial names for universities and colleges in the United States

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.

List of colloquial names for universities and colleges in the United States

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.

List of colloquial names for universities and colleges in the United States

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: List of college team nicknames in the United States List of college mascots in the United States

A

AECOM

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

AFA

United States Air Force Academy

AFIT

Air Force Institute of Technology

AIC

American International College

Annapolis

U.S. Naval Academy

A&M

Texas A&M University

Also others:see A&M

A&M-CC or A&M-Corpus Christi

Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi

A&T

North Carolina A&T State University

APSU

Austin Peay State University

ALASU

Alabama State University

Army

U.S. Military Academy

ASU

Alabama State University

Albany State University

Alcorn State University

Angelo State University

Appalachian State University

Arizona State University

Arkansas State University

Augusta State University

APU

Alaska Pacific University

AU

Adelphi University

Alfred University

American University

Anderson University (Indiana) Anderson University (South Carolina) Asbury University Auburn University Ashford University Arcadia University Augusta University AUM Auburn University Montgomery App State Appalachian State University