India's higher education system runs on an affiliation model that trips up a lot of first-time applicants, because "college" and "university" get used loosely in everyday conversation.
A university can award its own degrees
A university — central, state, state private, or deemed — has the legal authority to design its own curriculum, conduct its own examinations, and award degrees in its own name.
An affiliated college teaches, but the university certifies
Most colleges in India are affiliated to a specific university. The college delivers teaching, but the curriculum, examinations and the degree itself are generally set and awarded by the affiliating university — so two colleges affiliated to the same university, teaching the same programme, will have graduates holding an identically-worded degree from that university.
Autonomous colleges sit in between
A college can be granted "autonomous" status (by the UGC, on the recommendation of the affiliating university), which gives it real freedom to design its own curriculum and internal assessment. The degree, however, is still awarded by the affiliating university, with "autonomous" typically noted on the certificate.
What this means when you're comparing options
When comparing a university's own campus against an affiliated college, the questions that actually matter are usually about the specific institution — faculty, facilities, the specific affiliating body's current standing, and its own track record — rather than assuming "university" always means better than "college." A well-run autonomous college can outperform a weak university campus, and vice versa.