Yes, the word ‘college’ can be considered a proper noun when it refers to a specific institution. For instance, when you say ‘Harvard College,’ ‘College’ is capitalized because it is part of the official name of that particular school.
However, when used in a general sense, such as ‘I plan to go to college,’ the term is not capitalized. In this case, ‘college’ refers to the category of educational institutions rather than a specific one. Proper nouns are unique names for particular people, places, or organizations, while common nouns refer to general items or concepts.