Galen said:There are exceptions. Trinity College Dublin is a university, so is UCDublin and Galway. I think you're pointing out that we have Further Education Colleges here as well (for people aged 16 and up, I think) where students can attain lesser qualifications. IB's, BTEC's etc.
we have a similar system, i think. you can go to school (after high school, or 12th grade) for two years and get an associate's degree, you can go for four years for a bachelor's degree, or you can go on for a master's or doctorate's.