A university or college are "basically" the same... To get in you send your application (they'll have a form to fill out, usually also an essay you have to write) and sometimes pay an application fee... then you find out if you get accepted or not... (if you're in the US you fill out the "FAFSA" too, google that)
You can take whatever classes you want that they have (there will be a course-catalog of some kind) and you have to take 12 hours to be considered a "full-time-student" and usually more than 18 is too much to handle... (each class is usually around 5 credit-hours, depending on the school... At my school most classes are 2, 3, and 4 credits per class)
You CAN live in dorms (near the grounds, but not actually ON the grounds) if the school you go to has them, but you don't "have to"...
One course is usually either a semester or a year, this-again-depends on the school... at my school each course takes one "session" which is half a semester, or 8 weeks, but it's not usually the norm.
And you go for 2 years to get an Associates degree, 4 to get a Bachelors degree (that's the one to go for), OR you go for an extra 2 after your Bachelors to get a Masters degree... (masters degrees are usually encouraged to be from a different school than your bachelors degree...
If you're going for your Associates or Bachelors degree (& most associates degrees are made to transfer to a bachelors) you are an "undergraduate" student...
If you're going for your Masters, PhD, etc then you are a "graduate" student.
Any other qustions feel free to ask!
