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I'm compiling a table comparing the usage of prepositions 'in' and 'at' with the word 'university' using example sentences. Which preposition would be best suited to the following sentence:

  1. I'm in my third year in university.
  2. I'm in my third year at university.

Explanations accompanying your answer would be much appreciated, and if possible, a rule of thumb non-native speakers can follow when choosing between 'in' and 'at'.

Eddie Kal
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Eritrea
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    This is a usage that is likely to be different depending on where you are in the English-speaking world. Neither of these would be common un the US (people would say, "...in college"), while in Canada, "...at university" is more common. I can't speak to the usage in the UK, Australia, etc. – Canadian Yankee Dec 11 '20 at 15:32
  • @CanadianYankee I think "in University is more common in Canada but that just proves the point. I would ask "what year are you in?" "What year are you at?" sounds really weird to me. "I'm in university" means I'm enrolled. "I'm at [the] university" means that's your current location and you left out "the" for some reason. – DKNguyen Dec 11 '20 at 16:21
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    In the UK we would usually use at. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Americans would be more likely to say of college or of school when talking about being at university here: "I'm in my junior year of college" = UK "I'm in my third year at uni". – legatrix Dec 11 '20 at 17:05
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    Does this answer your question? 'in' or 'at': I'm expecting life in/at university – anotherdave Dec 11 '20 at 17:06

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