Matriculation, in the broadest sense, means to be registered or added to a list, from the Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

 matricula – little list. In Scottish heraldry

Scottish heraldry

Heraldry in Scotland, while broadly similar to that practised in England and elsewhere in western Europe, has its own distinctive features. Its heraldic executive is separate from that of the rest of the United Kingdom.-Executive:...

, for instance, a matriculation is a registration of armorial bearings. The most common meaning, however, refers to the formal process of entering a university

University

A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...

, or of becoming eligible to enter by acquiring the meeting prerequisites.
Up until the 1960s and 1970s, "matriculation", often shortened to "matric", was used (as in other Commonwealth

Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...

 countries) to refer to the successful completion of Form 6 (Year 12), the final year of high school.