Let's start at secondary school before moving along. Grade 10-12 is known as the Further Education & Training (FET) phase of schooling. It follows a phase, ending in grade 9, known as the General Education & Training (GET) phase. Completion of the FET phase means that a student has reached level four (out of a possible 10) of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) in South Africa. At an FET College, therefore, students may complete the FET phase of their learning, but through a vocational route. as a result, they will hold the National Certificate (Vocational) after completion.
In South Africa, a Bachelor's degree requires the completion of a qualification at level 4, among several other admission criteria. However, an NC (V), being a vocational qualification, does not easily lead on to degree studies at a university.
Grade 12 students obtain a National Senior Certificate in South Africa, and yes, the certificate issued by the Department of Basic Education (the government department responsible for State schooling) as well as the Independent Examinations Board are both NSC certificates. The NSC is distinct from the Senior Certificate, which was taken at all South African public schools until 2008.
NSC Certificates are endorsed with an eligibility to proceed to higher education, and may contain a statement about eligibility for admission to a 'higher certificate', 'diploma' or 'bachelor's degree'. I frequently hear speak of a 'bachelor's pass', for example. Importantly, such an endorsement merely means that the holder has met the statutory requirements to be admitted to any of these levels of qualification. However, it does not mean that the student, or applicant, is entitled to admission in any institution. Institutions establish admission criteria which are typically much higher than those required for these endorsements.
A last word about the NSC curriculum - a personal bugbear. The school curriculum contains the subjects Mathematics and Mathematical Literacy. The latter, however, is often confused with a subject which was popular with an earlier school certificate in South Africa, replaced in 2008. That subject, Mathematics Standard Grade, was offered in partnership with Mathematics High Grade. Mathematical Literacy is not mathematics, and should not be confused with Mathematics, despite its similar nomenclature. So parents often explain how their sons and daughters are doing very well in Mathematical Literacy, and should perhaps be considered for admission to a programme requiring Mathematics! Worse still, in order to distinguish between the two, some schools have started Mathematics by the less meaningful term, Core Mathematics. The centralist in me pleads for sanity.
Matriculation is the process of entering university, and has nothing to do with being in grade 12! So, when us South Africans so casually speak of "matric results", we are simply using the inappropriate term. Other, more grand terms, like "matriculant" and "matric ball", are no more appropriate.
Applicants to South African institutions who do not hold the NSC, need to obtain an exemption from the endorsement mentioned above. This is matriculation exemption, and is issued by the Matriculation Board in Pretoria.
Then comes the application. This is not to be confused with registration. Applications are submitted to institutions directly, except in KwaZulu-Natal, where applications may be submitted through the Central Applications Office.
An applicant may be made an offer of admission, but remains an applicant until registration. An applicant may be asked to pay an acceptance deposit, an amount of money which is required to indicate an intention to register.
An applicant may be made an offer of admission, but remains an applicant until registration. An applicant may be asked to pay an acceptance deposit, an amount of money which is required to indicate an intention to register.
When entering university for the first time, a student is an undergraduate. This simply means that such a student has not yet graduated with a first (Bachelor) degree. Later, after graduation, such a student may study a higher degree, also known as a postgraduate qualification. These two terms are also used to describe anything particular to the students concerned, such as undergraduate funding, or postgraduate diploma. In some countries, such as the United States, students doing higher degrees are referred to as graduates, as opposed to postgraduates.
Most students will have to attend an orientation programme of sorts. Orientation is the process of familiarising students with all aspects of institutions, including academic and non-academic aspects, and the variety of support institutions may provide to students.
Then comes registration. Registration is the transition from being an applicant to being a student. Often confused with application, registration is when a student selects courses for the year, or semester. A semester, in turn, is one of two academic terms in an academic year. After a student is registered, the curriculum is set for the semester, and sometimes for the year.
If you have made it this far, good luck!
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