University college

University college or högskola is a a term used in Sweden to denote independent institutions that provide tertiary but not quaternary education. In contrast to universities they do not themselves conduct research or generally grant degrees above Bachelor. They can how ever participate in research projects which are under the supervisory authority of a university. Under special dispensation they may also award a limited number or Master's degrees.

As the direct translation of the Swedish term högskola, literally means "high school", university college is a more proper terminology. However, as many of the university colleges aspire to full university status several has chosen to omit the word college when translating their names to English. This can make it difficult to distinguish the Swedish universities proper from the university colleges.

Note: The term used for secondary education in Sweden is gymnasium. The term högskola is also used by a number of specialized universities, especially technical universities, which provide both tertiary and quaternary education, as well as conduct research. These are not university colleges.