matriculate

American  

[muh-trik-yuh-leyt, muh-trik-yuh-lit] / məˈtrɪk yəˌleɪt, məˈtrɪk yə lɪt /

verb (used with object)

matriculated, matriculating

1. to enroll in a college or university as a candidate for a degree.

2. to register (a coat of arms), used especially in Scottish heraldry.

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verb (used without object)

matriculated, matriculating

1. to be matriculated.

noun

1. a person who has been matriculated.

matriculate British  

verb

1. to enrol or be enrolled in an institution, esp a college or university

2. (intr) to attain the academic standard required for a course at such an institution

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noun

1. Also called: matriculant.  a person who has matriculated

Other Word Forms

• matriculation noun
• matriculator noun
• rematriculate verb
• unmatriculated adjective

Etymology

Origin of matriculate

1480–90 for earlier sense; < Medieval Latin mātrīculātus (person) listed (for some specific duty), equivalent to mātrīcul ( a ) list ( matriculant ) + -ātus -ate ¹

Example Sentences

More than half of high-school grads matriculate to college, even though only 35% of 12th graders score proficient in reading and 22% in math on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 8, 2026

While it will take a little time for the students to matriculate through college and into the workforce, this plan will be a significant contributor to solving the controller shortage problem.

From Salon • Oct. 18, 2025

I need it to matriculate into the master's programme I was accepted into at Columbia.

From BBC • May 4, 2024

The new study showed that’s part of it: One-third of the difference in attendance rates was because middle-class students were somewhat less likely to apply or matriculate.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 27, 2023

She was told that she couldn’t matriculate lacking a high school education.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith