A Different World is een Amerikaanse komedieserie van de zender NBC. De serie ging in première op 1 september 1987.
In deze spin-off van de populaire sitcom 'The Cosby Show' begint Denise Huxtable aan haar tweede jaar op Hillman, de universiteit waar haar ouders en grootvader ook gestudeerd hebben. Ze gaat in Gilbert Hall wonen en deelt daar een kamer met de 26-jarige Jaleesa Vinson en de praatgrage Maggie Lauten.
Clair Huxtable attends the Hillman job fair to conduct a seminar on business etiquette. She brings teenage daughter Vanessa and a friend in the hopes of convincing Vanessa to attend Hillman. (She and Dr. Huxtable would like to have a child actually graduate from their alma mater.) Dwayne has a disastrous interview with the Kinishewa electronics company. Clair agrees to lobby the company rep--a longtime friend who is attracted to her--on Dwayne's behalf. Vanessa and Kara ditch Whitley and Jaleesa so that they can cruise the campus alone. The girls lie about their age and identity and convince Dwayne and Ron to take them out. The foursome runs into Clair and Phillip at a restaurant. A fuming Clair drags the girls away, and Dwayne gets his internship.