Matriculation - Definition and Overview

Matriculation refers to the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by acquiring the required prior qualifications.

In the English universities of Oxford, Durham and Cambridge, the term is used for the ceremony at which new students are entered into the register (in Latin matricula) of the university. From that point on they become members of the university. At Oxford and Cambridge, separate matriculation ceremonies are held by the colleges. There was formerly an entrance examination which needed to be passed before matriculation.

In England and Wales until the advent of the General Certificate of Education (GCE), Matriculation (usually abbreviated "matric") was the examination taken to earn the right to enter university. Unlike the GCE exam, it had a number of compulsory subjects and all had to be passed at a single sitting.

In Australia, Matriculation is currently the name of a university entrance examination.