'university-based' originates from the combination of 'university' and the suffix '-based', where 'university' refers to an institution of higher learning and '-based' indicates the origin or foundation.

'university' comes from the Latin word 'universitas', meaning 'a whole' or 'a corporation', and '-based' is derived from the Old English 'bæst', meaning 'foundation'.

Initially, it meant 'originating from a university', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.