Can you refer to a university as 'school'?

“Still, no one talks about going to university in the U.S. After high school, you go to college, even if the college you're attending calls itself a university. ... According to Grammarist, in the U.K. read more

In the UK, if you say, “Robert is going back to school now the Easter holidays are over”, then the possibilities are (a) Robert is a child (b) Robert is a teacher. If Robert is a university student, then you’d say ‘university’, ‘uni’, or possibly ‘college’, but never ‘school’. read more

In England, school refers purely to ages 5-16 (or thereabout), college tends to only refer to the bridge between school and university (16-18). Also often referred to as "sixth form". Any educational institute with "courses leading to a degree" will be referred to only as University (or abbreviated as uni). read more

It is normally only used for a college or university, not for a high school; the last would sound a bit silly and pretentious. However, silly and pretentious can be humorous, so talking about your primary school as your alma mater can be appropriate if you are being ironic. read more