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Student Achievement Component

Eligibility

To be eligible for SAC[1] funding or learner access to student allowances and the Student Loan Scheme, Rule SAC005[2] states that a qualification must be all of the following:

  • A certificate, diploma, degree, or short award
  • Quality assured by the appropriate quality assurance body for the tertiary education organisation
  • Open to the public for enrolment.

Short Award restrictions

Short Awards must meet all the following requirements to be eligible for SAC funding:

  • Be 20 credits or greater
  • Short Awards of between 20 and 39 credits must undergo an external quality assurance process, including providing evidence of progression opportunities
  • Short Awards of fewer than 40 credits must be part of a NZQF[3] registered qualification.

Short Awards must not use the word "Certificate" in either the title of the programme or the actual award given.

General restrictions

There are additional requirements for SAC-funded qualifications at TEIs[4] and PTEs; and for pre-service teacher education and post-entry health education.

A qualification is ineligible for SAC funding under Rule SAC006[5] if it:

  • has been developed for a specific employer
  • is restricted to the staff of a specific employer
  • is a short programme focusing on health and safety or regulatory compliance.

Funding approval process

The SAC funding qualification approval process outlines the key steps needed to obtain funding approval. Eligibility for SAC funding or learner access to student allowances and the Student Loan Scheme does not automatically assure approval of that funding or access.

As part of the qualification funding approval process we assess the funding details. Our approval of the funding details for a qualification involves us:

  • confirming that the details of the qualification are consistent with the TEO's[6] quality assurance approval for the qualification, for example qualification duration and credits
  • approving the EFTS[7] value of the qualification.


  • [1]

    Student Achievement Component fund (SAC)

  • [2]

    Rule SAC005: Qualifications - eligibility

    To be eligible for Student Achievement Component or Youth Guarantee funding or learner access to student allowances and the Student Loan Scheme, a qualification must be all of the following:

    • A certificate, diploma, degree, or short award
    • Quality assured by the appropriate quality assurance body for the tertiary education organisation
    • Open to the public for enrolment.

    To be eligible for funding a short award must be both of the following:

    • 20 credits or more
    • drawn from a qualification registered on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework.
  • [3]

    New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF)

  • [4]

    Tertiary education institution (TEI) - universities, ITPs and wānanga

  • [5]

    Rule SAC006: Qualifications - ineligibility

    A qualification is ineligible for Student Achievement Component or Youth Guarantee funding if any of the following apply:

    • It has been developed for a specific employer
    • It is restricted to the staff of a specific employer
    • It is a discrete very short programme of learning (generally less than 20 credits) with a focus on Health and Safety requirements
    • It is a discrete very short programme of learning (generally less than 20 credits) with a focus on Regulatory Compliance
    • It predominantly provides learning that displaces the responsibility of employers to provide training necessary to mitigate health and safety; and legal risks
    • It contains health and safety; and/or regulatory compliance learning and most enrolments lead only to completion of the health and safety, or regulatory compliance, components, rather than the whole qualification.
  • [6]

    Tertiary education organisation (TEO)

  • [7]

    Equivalent Full-Time Student (EFTS)

  • Last changed: 23 December 2010
  • Last verified: 23 December 2010