Meaning & use
matriculate vs graduate
Last updated
Meanings
verbintransitiveformal
To officially enroll as a student at a college or university.
Grammar: No object; often followed by 'at' or 'in': 'matriculate at Oxford'.
Patterns
- matriculate at a university
- matriculate in a program
She matriculated at Yale in 2010.
Students matriculate in the fall semester.
He matriculated as a physics major.
verbintransitive
To successfully complete a degree or course of study, especially at a university.
Grammar: No object; often followed by 'from': 'graduate from college'.
Patterns
- graduate from a school
- graduate with a degree
She graduated from Harvard last year.
He will graduate with a degree in engineering.
They graduated together in 2015.
Word forms
| third person singular | matriculates |
|---|---|
| past tense | matriculated |
| past participle | matriculated |
| -ing form | matriculating |
| third person singular | graduates |
| past tense | graduated |
| past participle | graduated |
| -ing form | graduating |
Common combinations
- matriculate at a college
- He matriculated at a small liberal arts college.
- graduate from university
- She graduated from university with honors.
- matriculate into a program
- Students matriculate into the program each September.
- graduate with a degree
- He graduated with a degree in biology.
Synonyms and how they differ
- enroll
- A general word for signing up for a course; 'matriculate' is more formal and specific to college.
- finish
- A general word for completing something; 'graduate' is specific to education.
Opposites
Word family
- matriculation noun
- The act of enrolling at a college or university.
- graduation noun
- The act of completing a degree or course.
- graduate noun
- A person who has completed a degree.
Commonly confused: matriculate vs graduate or matriculate?
matriculate vs graduate vs matriculate
Some learners confuse it with 'matricide' (killing one's mother) because of similar sounds.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'matriculate' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Matriculate' means to enroll, so 'matriculated at college' is correct. 'Graduated from' would be used for finishing.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “matriculate vs graduate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.