College Admission Documents and Registration Steps

Many new students who are going to college will often wonder what kind of admission documents they should have to register. This informational guide will help. It aims to put in perspective a list of required (must-have) college admission documents; and also give details of the steps students go through during the college registration.

College admission documents required on registration day

Colleges in Papua New Guinea (PNG) may have different requirements and admission documents spelt out in the acceptance letter they send to students. Here are the 4 main documents every new student must have at the time of registration.

College admission documents list

Upper Secondary School Certificate

The Upper Secondary School Certificate (also called the Grade 12 Certificate) is a very important requirement a student needs to have to register. It determines whether or not the individual can register at the college.

So, the Grade 12 Certificate is the number one document to have at registration. Not having the certificate can evoke a lot of questions and disqualify a student from registering at the college.

The certificates are issued by the Measurement Services Division (of the National Department of Education) to schools. The schools, then, pass the certificate to their students during graduation, or when the documents reach the schools from Port Moresby.

Medical Report

The student’s medical report is to make known to the college registrar what type of illnesses or allergies the student may have. The student must be able to provide a full medical report written by his/her doctor and this should be presented with the other documents on the day of registration.

It lets the administration know what conditions the student may have so they can be prepared in case of an emergency.

If the student has to fly to another province to attend college, the medical reports will be extremely important. Make sure to get a medical test and have the medical report before leaving to avoid any complications when registering at a college in PNG.

The medical tests and reports carried out by the private medical practitioners come at a cost. That means that students who wish to get a medical certificate will have to pay for it.

Acceptance letter

This letter is sent to the student when they have been accepted to a college of their choice. The student may need this when registering at the college, because it confirms that the student’s eligibility. Again, this document is necessary, as it helps in avoiding false information and fraud.

The college that accepts students to their programs often sends the acceptance letters out prior to the start of the academic year. It is an important letter and new students should take this college admission document with them when they depart to their new school.

Valid Identification cards

Students who are registering at a college in PNG must present their old high school or secondary school ID card with them. It can be useful as it identifies the student’s last school. This is necessary to avoid any kind of false information or uncomfortable situation on the registration day.

Some remote school may not have produced the ID cards for their students. In this case, it would be advisable to have one of these IDs with you:

• Drivers Licence,
• Birth certificate,
• Church issued ID,
• Baptism certificate,
• Community/Youth Group/Student Association ID, or
• a valid ID that has your name/s, photo, date of birth, and signature.

How to register at a college in PNG

The steps will give any first-time student the idea about what to expect on the registration day.

Present on registration date

Every student must be present on the date of registration to avoid late registration and penalty fees. Each individual must arrive at their college a few days earlier for registration, or at the earliest time the college opens.

School starts the minute a student registers, so it is better to show up and register on the day of registration. Showing up a few days or even a week later can have certain repercussions.

Late students may be asked to pay a late registration fee. Furthermore, they could be behind the given assessment tasks or lectures, and miss the orientation.

Important college admission documents on registration day

The students who are registering must be able to present all the necessary documents that are required of them.

These documents are mentioned in the above article and they are as follows:

• Upper Secondary School Certificate,
• Medical Report,
• Acceptance Letter from the college, and
• Former school ID.

In most cases the documents that are required upon registration are usually mentioned in the college acceptance letter to students. The list below puts in perspective the required documents for registering at a college in PNG.

Registration fee

In many colleges, it is a must that the registration fee is paid upon the date of registration.

However, there is an understanding that all students come from different backgrounds, some are well off and others are not.

In saying that, there is an option in some colleges where half of the fee can be paid upon registration. And the other half can be paid at a later date, but not too late. This particular registration option depends on the college – whether it is a church agency college or a government-owned college.

Students on the Higher Education Contribution Assistant Scheme (HECAS) must pay the registration fee upfront before registration.

Identification card

The final part of registration is taking pictures of students for their new identification card. One may think that an identification card (ID card), is not necessary. However, it can be very useful at college, and outside of college.

An ID card is a must-have. It makes it official that the person owning it is a student at the college. The card grants the students access to the school’s facilities such as the library, IT laboratory, mess or food court and even into the lecture rooms.

It can be used outside of school to get discounts on plane tickets, bus fees, etc. So always keep the college ID safe.

Importance of the 4 college admission documents

Although there are only four (4) steps, they are important to consider or remember when registering at a college in PNG.

Any students registering at a college for the first time should be aware of the 4 college admission documents, and the steps involved during the registration and orientation week.

In this way, the students will be able to register, comfortably, without their parents there to guide them through it. This also increases the level of confidence and promotes independence, as the students learn to do certain things by themselves.

We hope that this college admission guide gives you, especially the new students, a chance to prepare a portfolio folder in advance and know what to expect before arriving at the college for registration.

Educational Info – PNG Writers’ Corner

In an attempt to help our readers who are preparing to attend a college in PNG, we (PNG Insight) have outsourced this work to one of our active writers on the PNG Writers’ Corner – an initiative for the local writers – to write for us.

This work is based on the writer’s experience as a first-time student at a nursing college in PNG. We would like to thank the writer for providing this information.

This year (2021) we updated the rewards for interested writers. There are 3 categories. Writers can submit their published work to us to re-publish for free or submit their original articles for us to vet and pay for them. Either way, we believe in the power of stories and sharing of information for the greater good or our people.

We would like to encourage students to participate in this initiative. Check out the first link for some examples of stories we have collected over the 1.5 years.

Furthermore, in the 2021 update, we also have a Special Category (3rd Category) for the seasoned and experienced PNG Writers. We provide the topics and work closely with writers on the article. Click on the link to the updated reward, above, to find out more.

If you would like to participate in the PNG Writers Corner, send an email to us at info@pnginsight.com