minor local college; small-time university
A mildly derogatory term for a low-prestige local university, likening it to a station bento—ubiquitous but unremarkable. Coined in the post-war era when many new universities were established.
He graduated from a minor local college and got a job at a local small or medium-sized company.
Even at a university derided as a small-time school, there are excellent students.