Bluemagic, your college/university distinction isn't true in my experience. Colleges are also PhD granting institutions.
This is how the US New & World Reports classifies schools. And i know there is some governing body that approves college names. I know that the school my DD attends was "granted" university status about 15 years ago when they starting giving Masters degrees. I assume it's the accreditation board that grants this status.
OK looking up the usnew rankings, their definition is a little less strict than I said. But the idea is the same. They list colleges/universities in 4 categories.
http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankingsThe point is it's confusing. You can get a BA (4 yrs) degree from both a college and university. And those of us in the U.S. use the term in a confusing manner.
