Yes, a university is superior to a college, when you are talking about formal names, and when you are discussing distinctions between actual schools. University of Whatever is always better than Whatever College.
But, when a high schooler is deciding "where to go to college," he very well could be choosing between Harvard University or Princeton University. In that context, of a high schooler "going on college visits," lower case "c" college means both capital "U" universities and capital "C" colleges. Don't you agree? Or, is it different in the northeast? Do people really say that their son is "going to university"? That sounds downright pompous...like something they might say before ordering Jeeves to get them another martini. As for me, I have a kid who is going to college at Notre Dame right now.