neilmac Jul 1, 2018:

@Charles Yep. And when my daughter also graduated from Strathy 10 years ago they were still matriculating away like nobody's business... :)

Charles Davis Jun 30, 2018:

Perhaps they think "registration number" makes you sound like a car. That's what it sounds like to me.

Charles Davis Jun 30, 2018:

@Neil Are you by any chance referring to the noble University of Strathclyde? If so, you may be pleased to hear that although they may now have registration, students' ID numbers are still called "matriculation numbers", according to the University Complaints Procedure:

"When complaining, tell us:
- your full name, contact details and matriculation number"
https://www.strath.ac.uk/media/ps/strategyandpolicy/FINAL_Gu...

Charles Davis Jun 30, 2018:

Actually the equivalent to a "número de matrícula" is often called a student ID number, in England and I suspect internationally.

neilmac Jun 30, 2018:

Plus ça change I think "matriculate/matriculation" sounds more academic and elegant than the bog-standard catch-all "registration". However, that's just my opinion, which is equally as subjective as John's. However, I've just checked and found (to my chagrin) that my alma mater, the more modern of Glasgow's 2 major universities, now calls it "registration" rather than matriculation. So I'll just clamber into my Brougham and clip-clop off to the scrapheap with the rest of the dinosaurs... :)

Charles Davis Jun 30, 2018:

Scotland Curiously enough, "matriculation number" seems to be standard in Scotland: St Andrews, Edinburgh, Napier, Heriot-Watt, Glasgow, Glasgow Caledonian, Strathclyde, Robert Gordon (Aberdeen), Ayr and Dundee all have them. The notable exception north of the border is Stirling, which has student registration numbers. "Registration number" seems to be standard in England: Hull, Sheffield, Leicester, Essex, East Anglia, etc. etc. Oxford and Cambridge have a ceremony called "Matriculation", but I don't think Oxbridge students have "matriculation numbers".

AllegroTrans Jun 29, 2018:

Agree totally with John

John Druce Jun 29, 2018:

I know Oxbridge and some other universities call the process of registering in the first few days of the degree course “matriculation”, and other universities do indeed call it registration. I remember “registration day” from my first day of uni, which involved trapsing round campus getting various forms signed so we could get our student IDs, loans, etc.

As an aside, remember also that matriculación can also refer to registering a vehicle to get a number plate or license plate, so it covers a similar range of meanings as registration in English...hence some strong hits for registration in English.

Ultimately, you can choose either “matriculation” or “registration”. I think the former is a bit more old fashioned and favoured by traditional institutions, and registration sounds a bit more modern, and places pushing that sort of image. Perhaps you could also make a case that more science/engineering focussed places would prefer “registration”, and the more humanities like classics and literature would still use “matriculation”.

A quick point to finish; DNI would be nationAL identity document.