Musket, Are you talking about the Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario?

Probably many colleges are now degree granting institutes, but when I was of post secondary age, in the sixties and seventies, colleges like Humber, Mohawk, Sheridan... in Ontario, were post secondary institutes that didn't grant degrees, whereas universities did grant degrees. Colleges were more practical, preparing students for a particular occupation, while universities gave a more general education.
Perhaps this was just a Canadian distinction.