Matriculation
Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination.
Australia
In Australia, the term matriculation is seldom used now. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, all states replaced the matriculation examination with either a certificate, such as the Higher School Certificate in Victoria and New South Wales, or a university entrance exam, such as the Tertiary Entrance Exam in Western Australia. These have all been renamed as a state-based certificate, such as the Victorian Certificate of Education or the Western Australian Certificate of Education.Some Catholic university colleges in Australia have reintroduced matriculation ceremonies. New students at the College of St John the Evangelist within the University of Sydney and new students at Campion College Australia sign the college register during a formal ceremony whilst wearing academic dress.
Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, the "Matriculation" is the Secondary School Certificate examination taken at the end of year 10, and the Intermediate Exams are the Higher Secondary Certificate examination taken at the end of year 12. Bangladesh, like the rest of the Indian sub-continent, still uses terms such as Matriculation Exams and Intermediate Exams taken from the days of the British Raj although in England itself these terms were replaced by 'O' or Ordinary Level Examinations and 'A' or Advanced Level Examinations respectively.Brazil
In Brazilian Portuguese, the word matricular refers to the act of enrolling in an educational course, whether it be elementary, high school, college or post-graduate education.Canada
In Canada, the term is used by some older universities to refer to orientation events, however, some universities, including the University of King's College, still hold formal Matriculation ceremonies. The ceremony at King's is quite similar to the matriculation ceremonies held in universities such as Oxford or Cambridge. Trinity College at the University of Toronto also holds formal matriculation ceremonies, during which time incoming students are required to sign a matriculation register, making the practice the closest in format to that conducted by Oxford and Cambridge colleges of any university in North America. "F!rosh Week" at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering also begins with a distinct Matriculation ceremony held at the university's Convocation Hall; though, there is no matriculation register to be signed, and the event is held by the student-run University of Toronto Engineering Society rather than officially by the faculty. It is also where first-year engineering students take the "Hardhat Oath," a modified version of the Rifleman's Creed. At McGill University in Montreal, matriculation ceremonies have been substantially stripped down since the 1990s, although a speech by the Principal, typically held at Molson Stadium, to the incoming class is still a ritualized annual tradition.In Ontario during the era with grade 13, satisfactory completion of grade 12 was considered junior matriculation and satisfactory completion of grade 13 was senior matriculation. In Nova Scotia, at the present time, Junior matriculation is grade 11 and senior matriculation is completion of grade 12.
Czech Republic
At Charles University in Prague, the oldest and most prestigious university in the Czech Republic, matriculation is held at the Great Hall. The ceremony is attended by students commencing their studies. It is intended as a demonstration of the adoption of student's duties and obtaining of student's rights. The ceremony itself involves students taking the Matriculation Oath of the university and symbolically touching the faculty mace and shaking the dean's hand.Other Czech universities hold ceremonies similar to the one just described.
Denmark
In Denmark, the University of Copenhagen holds a matriculation ceremony each year. The ceremony is held in the Hall of Ceremony in the main building of the university. The ceremony begins with a procession with the rector and the deans in academic dress and other regalia. The ceremony continues with the rector listing the different faculties, after which the different student, shouts when their respective faculty is mentioned. The rector then delivers a speech, after which the rector and the deans leave the ceremony again in procession, after which a party is held on university grounds, to mark the admission of the new students.Finland
In Finland, Matriculation is the examination taken at the end of Secondary education to qualify for entry into University. In practice, the test also constitutes the high school's final exams, although there is a separate diploma on graduating from high school, based not on the exam, but on the grades of individual courses. Since 1919, the test has been arranged by a national body, the Matriculation Examination Board. Before that, the administration of the test was the responsibility of the University of Helsinki.Germany
The German term Immatrikulation describes the administrative process of enrolling at a university as a student. This can happen for the winter semester and, depending on the degree program, also for the summer semester. It does not involve a ceremony. A prerequisite for matriculation is generally the Abitur, which is the standard matriculation examination in Germany, for regular universities and Fachhochschulreife for Fachhochschulen. Both Abitur and Fachhochschulreife are school leaving certificates which students receive after passing their final examinations at some types of German secondary schools.Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, the term is used interchangeably with the completion of sixth-form. After sitting for the Certificate of Education examinations, eligible students receive two years of sixth-form education. Upon completion, they sit for the A-level examinations. Most secondary schools offer the sixth-form programme, and there are also a few sixth-form colleges. Students obtaining good grades in the A-level examinations will be admitted to a university. The education reforms of Hong Kong in the 2000s have replaced the fourth- and fifth-form education, which prepared students for the HKCEE, and the sixth-form education with a three-year senior secondary education, which leads to the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination. The last sixth-form students graduated and took the A-level examinations in 2012; in the same year, the first students studying the new senior secondary curriculum graduated and took the first HKDSE examinations.India
In India, matriculation is a term commonly used to refer to the final results of the 10th class, which ends at the tenthBoard, and the qualification consequently received by passing the national board exams or the state board exams, commonly called "matriculation exams".
India still uses terms such as Matriculation Exams and Intermediate Exams for Class 10th and Class 12th Board Exams, respectively, taken from the days of British rule, although in England these terms have been replaced by 'O' or Ordinary Level Examinations and 'A' or Advanced Level Examinations.
English is the standard language for matriculation for science subjects, while regional languages are also an option. Most students who pass matriculation, or class 10, are 15–16 years old. Upon successfully passing, a student may continue to the Higher secondary school. Most students who pass class 12 are 17–18 years old. The CBSE and ICSE boards conduct twelfth standard courses nationally, while state boards operate at the state level. Although the basic curriculum is prescribed by the CBSE & almost all the competitive exams for entering various universities in India are based on the CBSE syllabus, various scholarships are also provided to students appearing for matriculation exams like NTSE, NSO, NSTSC etc.
Malaysia
In Malaysia, matriculation programmes are run by public universities and the Ministry of Education. Matriculation programmes offered by public universities offer fewer options for further study upon completion of the said programme, as they are limited to that particular university.The matriculation programme provided by the MoE is a one-year pre-U program sponsored by the Malaysian government. SPM holders can apply for MoE Matriculation during their SPM year . Students who are offered the matriculation programme will be posted to several Matriculation Colleges within Malaysia.
After MoE Matriculation, they can further their studies in local universities within Malaysia. Several universities in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand recognize the MoE Matriculation as a pre-U qualification.
Apart from the matriculation programmes, there is the STPM programme, the standardised national examinations taken by Form 6 students. STPM is different from the matriculation programme in terms of its duration, syllabus, marking method and passing rate.