Directly to University or 1st College?

I’m interested in attending a university but do I have to go to college first or can I go directly to the university?
Is it ideal, or more expensive?

In the US, the terms “university” and “college” may mean something different from what they mean in other countries like Canada.

College: generally describes any school that one may attend after high school graduation. In the US, the following two terms are usually used to describe subsets of this term.
University: generally describes a school which offers study leading to a bachelor’s degree, and often has programs leading to post-bachelor’s degrees (master’s and/or doctoral degrees).
Community college: a college whose main offerings are studies leading to associates degrees, certificates, or transfer preparation to colleges or universities where one can complete a bachelor’s degree. Usually open admission.

One can attend a university or a bachelor’s degree granting college after high school graduation, nominally taking four years to complete a bachelor’s degree. Or one can attend a community college for up to two years, then transfer to a university or a bachelor’s degree granting college to complete one’s bachelor’s degree after two more years.

If you are attending a secondary school in your country like “high school” you go to a college or a university in the USA. A college will give a degree to the bachelor’s level, a university can give degrees from bachelor’s to PhD.

American students that graduate high school go to a college or university for a bachelor’s degree.

Understand??

In the USA…“college” and “university” can be used interchangeably by people…
But you can go directly from High school (grades 9-12 in USA) to College/University.

The terms “college” and “university” are somewhat interchangeable in the USA. Generally speaking the term University just means a college that has with graduate programs on campus in addition to undergraduate studies. Some of the most prestigious schools are colleges.

I agree

Makes sense but my guess Universities are more expensive.

No in fact the opposite can be true because almost all undergraduate only colleges are private and not part of of state system. Many universities are public universities.