I have noticed that across the US, abbreviations for colleges and universities are assumed by the locals to be implicitly understood, even if indecipherable or confusing to others.

And then you get the nicknames (and I don't mean mascots) like Wazzou (Washington U.), Mizzou (Missouri U.), Ole Miss (U. of Mississippi), and UMass (U. of Massachusetts). Not to mention Boston College, which is a University in Newton, MA...