matriculation

British  

/ məˌtrɪkjʊˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the process of matriculating

2. (in Britain, except Scotland) a former school examination, which was replaced by the General Certificate of Education (Ordinary Level), now superseded by the General Certificate of Secondary Education

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Explanation

Matriculation is a noun meaning admission to a group, particularly a school. Matriculation is what hopefully follows after you send in your application. Though the dictionary sense of matriculation is admission, in practical use matriculation takes place when you enroll at a school. In other words, you can’t just be accepted to complete matriculation; you have to have to enroll, register, and matriculate. If you get a letter from a college or school with a list of what to do before your matriculation, those are the things you need to do before you arrive on campus — like send a big check!

Example Sentences

Here's David Tennant in his matriculation photograph for the Junior Academy, taken in 1982.

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2026

They include Graham’s matriculation cards and correspondence with the school.

From Washington Post • Jul. 9, 2022

The Mannings watch the way we watch, perking up when something exciting happens and otherwise filling long stretches of matriculation by shooting the breeze, cracking wise or pantomiming gameplay in overwrought ways.

From New York Times • Oct. 6, 2021

“We were more of Hank Stram matriculation which is good, if you can finish it with points. When you are going efficient, or matriculating, you got to be able to finish it.”

From Seattle Times • Sep. 12, 2021

I had no doubt I had passed, despite the difficulties of the past school year; but what would I do with a matriculation certificate?

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane