There are essential differences between colleges and universities. At that time, the academy was one of the important sources of transporting officials for the country. On the other hand, in modern universities, students learn professional knowledge, learn professional skills and exercise social ability, which does not have the function and nature of the academy sending officials to the country. So this is the biggest difference between universities and academies, and it is also the most fundamental difference.
In ancient history, the academy first appeared in the Tang Dynasty, and within a hundred years after the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the academy began to sprout in the Tang Dynasty. According to historical records, there were five academies during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, but there was no special department to manage them at that time. Therefore, the academies in this period have been in a period of free development, almost out of government control.
In the late Tang Dynasty, imperial rulers found that more and more private academies were born. So the rulers decided to take good care of these academies, and since then, they have introduced various policies to control these academies in an orderly manner. With the expansion of the academy, the Tang government began to strictly control the academy, which gave birth to a very important system in ancient history, that is, the imperial examination system.
We all know that the imperial examination system achieved fame through examinations, which was the only chance for those students with no background in ancient times. Before the exam, they need to go to the academy to learn knowledge. Therefore, the academy became an important source of talents for the imperial court.