MW MATRICULATION RULES IN N.S.W.

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30975, 3 February 1966, Page 6

MW MATRICULATION RULES IN N.S.W.

In October Professor Alexander G. Mitchell. ViceChancellor of the new Macquarie University, which will open in the Sydney suburb of North Ryde in 1967, announced the matriculation requirements of his university under the new Higher School Certificate examinations of New South Wales secondary schools.

The Higher School Certificate examinations are part of the new six-year (Wyndham plan) secondary school course and will replace the present Leaving Certificate which comes at the end of a five-year course. The Wyndham plan was started in 1962, and the first Higher School Certificate examinations will be held at the end of 1967.

The Higher School Certificate examinations are set at three levels, which represent courses of differing difficulty, so that for academic purposes the top level is an honours course, the second level is a pass course and the lower level is for students who do not intend going on to a university. The universities of Sydney, New South Wales, New England and Newcastle, and the Australian National University in Canberra, will all require passes in five subjects in the Higher School Certificate examinations, at least Macquarie University requirements will be different.

Matriculation to Macquarre University will be assessed on the aggregate of marks gained in the Higher School Certificate and not on levels of passes. Students must pass in five subjects, one of which must be English. The aggregate marks will be weighted in favour of passes at higher Professor Mitchell said that although a student taking only third-level courses could qualify for matriculation he would be advised to study at least three subjects four of them at first or second level. at second level. He said that matriculation would be set at a level to ensure that only those students would be admitted who bad an acceptable chance of succeeding in university studies. Professor Mitchell said that the university would recognise as matriculation subjects English, mathematics, science, agriculture, modem history, ancient history, geography, economics, Latin, French, German, Italian, Bahasa Indonesian, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese. Hebrew, Dutch, art end music.

Professor Mitchell said that the university expected to en-

roll some 1100 students in 1967. It would be offering

undergmtudate courses at first year only and would accept post-graduate students. In 1967 the university would accept for matriculation any student who, before March. 1967, had qualified for admission to matriculation tn any other Australian university.