School leaving qualification

A school leaving qualification is an academic qualification awarded for the completion of secondary education. Depending on the country or region, it may alternatively be known as a high school diploma, senior secondary leaving certificate, high schools general certificate or school certificate (amongst other names).

Institutional requirements differ for obtaining a high school diploma or its equivalent. For example, some schools require that all students study a foreign language, and others do not. The number of years that students are required to attend school before earning a high school diploma, the difficulty level of the classes, and the types of classes vary significantly from place to place.

In the United States, the qualification is known as a high school diploma. The same name is used for the equivalent qualification awarded in Canada.

In England and Wales, the school-leaving qualifications awarded are either General Certificate of Education (GCE) A Level or Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) qualifications, depending on the student's choice; students pursue these qualifications after taking General Certificate of Secondary Education exams (GCSEs) at the ages of 14–16 (Years 10 and 11). In Scotland, one qualification is known as the Advanced Higher, which is preceded by the Scottish Higher, the basic university entrance qualification. In Ireland, the qualification is the Irish Leaving Certificate.

In Italy, Switzerland, Albania, Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and several other countries in Europe, the qualification is known as the Matura. In Italy it is defined as "Diploma di maturità." In Germany, the qualification is the Abitur. In France, the qualification is Le Baccalauréat. In Romania, the qualification is the Romanian Baccalaureate. In Israel, the equivalent qualification is known as the Bagrut, which means "maturity" in Hebrew. In Belgium (French community), the qualification is officially called CESS (Certificat d'enseignement secondaire supérieur, certificate for upper-secondary learning).

In South Africa, the equivalent nowadays is the National Senior Certificate however it was previously or is more commonly known as the Matriculation (Matric) Certificate. In Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, the equivalent is the West African Senior School Certificate. In Zimbabwe, the school-leaving qualification is the ZIMSEC GCE Advanced Level which is preceded by the ZIMSEC GCE Ordinary Level.

The School Leaving Certificate is a certification obtained by a student on successful completion of an examination at the end of study at the schooling level in India. Affidavit for SLC can be obtained here.

Diplomas were originally made of sheepskin, as paper was not very durable and was difficult to create. The sheepskin was made paper thin and information was handwritten. Soon, parchment was used for the diploma.