Matriculation in South Africa

Matriculation in South Africa

In South Africa, matriculation (or matric) is a term commonly used to refer to the final year of high school and the qualification received on graduating from high school, although strictly speaking, it refers to the minimum university entrance requirements. The first formal examination was conducted in South Africa under the University of the Cape of Good Hope in 1858. [1]

In general usage, the school-leaving exams, which are government-administered, are known as the "matric exams"; by extension, students in the final year of high school (grade 12) are known as "matrics". (For example, "Only matrics can be prefects, not students in grade 11.") Once the Matric year has been passed, students are said to have "matriculated". (For example, "Johan matriculated with 3 distinctions.")

Officially, the qualification obtained at the end of secondary schooling is the National Senior Certificate, and the school-leaving examinations are the "Senior Certificate Examinations". Students who fulfil certain requirements in their Senior Certificate results receive a Matriculation Endorsement on their certificates; this endorsement is the legal minimum requirement for admission to a bachelor's degree at any South African university. Students applying to a South African university with foreign school qualifications can obtain a "Matriculation Exemption" to show that they meet the same standards.

This multiple meaning can lead to confusion; for example, the statement that a person "passed matric" or "has their matric" may mean either that they received a Senior Certificate (i.e. they finished high school) or specifically that they received a Senior Certificate with Matriculation Endorsement (i.e. they are eligible to enter university).

South African universities do not set their own entrance examinations, although some do use standardized entrance tests of linguistic and numerical ability, called the AARP tests,[2] split into the Placement Test in English for Educational Purposes, the Mathematics Achievement Test and the Mathematics Comprehension Test.

See also


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • South Africa — This article is about the modern country. For other uses, see South Africa (disambiguation). Republic of South Africa …   Wikipedia

  • Culture of South Africa — South Africa is known for its ethnic and cultural diversity. Therefore, there is no single culture of South Africa. Zulus in Natal …   Wikipedia

  • SOUTH AFRICA — SOUTH AFRICA, republic comprising nine provinces – Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, North West, Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Free State, and KwaZulu Natal. Prior to 1994, when multiracial democracy was introduced, there were four… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • South Africa — Republic of, a country in S Africa; member of the Commonwealth of Nations until 1961. 42,327,458; 472,000 sq. mi. (1,222,480 sq. km). Capitals: Pretoria and Cape Town. Formerly, Union of South Africa. * * * South Africa Introduction South Africa… …   Universalium

  • Education in South Africa — South Africa has 12 million learners, 366 000 teachers and around 28 000 schools including 390 special needs schools and 1 000 registered private schools. Of all the schools, 6 000 are High schools (grade 8 to grade 12) and the rest are Primary… …   Wikipedia

  • University of South Africa — Infobox University name = University of South Africa established = 1873 type = Public distance education university staff = 4 000 head label = Vice Chancellor Principal head = NB Pityana students = 200 000 city = Pretoria state = Gauteng country …   Wikipedia

  • Higher Education South Africa — (HESA) is an association of the 23 public universities in South Africa. Its function is to form a unified voice for the interests of its members, to form common policy for its members on matters of national importance, and to provide various… …   Wikipedia

  • St. Andrew's College (Grahamstown, South Africa) — Infobox School2 name = St Andrew s College motto = Nec Aspera Terrent established = 1855 type = Private, Boarding grades = 8 12 head name = Headmaster head = David Wylde (Oxon) head name2 = Exam board head2 = IEB city = Grahamstown state =… …   Wikipedia

  • South African heraldry — has thrived for more than 350 years, inheriting European (especially Dutch and British) heraldic traditions. Arms are borne by individuals, official bodies, local authorities, military units, and by a wide variety of organisations. South Africa… …   Wikipedia

  • Matriculation — Matric redirects here. For the research organization, see MATRIC. The matriculation ceremony at Oxford Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry,… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”