I was in university vs i was at university

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'I was in university' is commonly used in British English to refer to being enrolled as a student in a university. 'I was at university' is more commonly used in American English to refer to being physically present on the university campus.

Last updated: March 25, 2024 • 3120 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in British English to refer to being enrolled as a student in a university.

"I was in university"

This phrase is used to indicate that the speaker was a student at a university.

Examples:

When I was in university, I studied economics.
I met my best friend when I was in university.
I learned a lot of new things when I was in university.
In university, I discovered my passion for art.
I had a great time when I was in university.

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I started smoking when I was in university.
When I was in university, I joined a secret society.
I went to Chuncheon when I was in university.
When I was at university in England, my flatmate was from Texas.
I was comfortable in the university, so I didn't go.
I was in Canton attending Chungshan University.
Before I lived here, before I was Pirate Bureau, in university in Moscow, there were these guys.
I was a university lecturer in Frankfurt, until Jews were barred from the professions.
In contrast, we have General Tso's Chicken, which actually started in New York City in the early 1970s, as I was also starting in the university in New York City in the early 1970s, so...
I was on the shooting team in university.
Sport should not have such priority in university.
The European Union must promote sport in universities, both inside and outside the university itself.
We must strive to ensure gender equality in university and non-university research and in the governing bodies of these institutions.
This measure may lead to a form of competition between universities, which could compromise equality in university education.
Measures to develop an innovation culture in universities
My daughter - she's still in university.
The cello is more in demand in university orchestras.
Sabina and I were in university together for a year.
Girls who play in university orchestras.
I kissed a girl once, in university.

Alternatives:

I was a university student
I attended university
I studied at university
I went to university
I was a student at university

This phrase is correct and commonly used in American English to refer to being physically present on the university campus.

"i was at university"

This phrase is used to indicate that the speaker was physically present at a university.

Examples:

I was at university when I received the news.
She was at university for a conference.
He visited me while I was at university.
I spent four years at university.
I had a great time while I was at university.

Show examples from the web [+]

When I was at university in England, my flatmate was from Texas.
I was approached by Ml6 when I was at university.
It does. I bought it with my first pay check for some TV work that I got while I was at university.
And to me at that time university - I was at University of Pitts for undergrad, and that was like heaven, OK, because compared to what could have been in Kenya.
When I was at university, we used to play this brilliant game called Oxford stud.
I was at university there studying design, but it wasn't for me.
Did you know that when I was at university we used to speak to each other every day?
Did you know when I was at university, we called us every day?
A long, long time ago when I was at university I was married.
It was not so long ago that I was at university and there, unfortunately, many students illegally copied their course literature, but to punish them by forbidding them to read books or write articles would clearly be unreasonable.
I should like to mention a very personal recollection from my youth, when I was at university: Professor Cariota-Ferrara, who had done his thesis on inheritance law, used to say that inheritance law was a law about emotions, a law that often involved suffering.
I was at university for six months.
The ability to identify fossils and place them in their geological time zone was still an essential skill when I was at university a century later.
Who? OK, so, there's this person I was at university with.

Alternatives:

I was on the university campus
I was in college
I was studying at university
I was attending university
I was on campus

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I was in university vs i was at university