Because of the large number of universities and colleges in the United States, and 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:

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C

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E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

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N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Yale University