SAC 001 - 050

  • Rule SAC003: Changes - significant

    Significant changes to a qualification include changes to the: Equivalent Full-Time Student (EFTS) value of a qualification, which may result from a change in the credit value, or a change in the number of teaching weeks or learning hours. However, if the change in EFTS value is the result of revision of a unit standard, the tertiary education organisation (TEO) does not require re-approval fro…

  • Rule SAC004: Changes - delivery site or mode

    A change of delivery site or delivery mode may affect the Tertiary Education Commission's (TEC’s) approval of the qualification: Private training establishments and wānanga must obtain approval from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) to deliver all qualifications through additional delivery sites or delivery modes, notify the TEC of the new site or mode and provide evidence of NZQA…

  • 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 …

  • 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…

  • Rule SAC007: Qualifications - PTEs - level

    Private training establishments [1]  (PTEs) are eligible for Student Achievement Component (SAC) funding for quality assured qualifications with 40 or more compulsory credits at or above level 3 on the New Zealand Register of Quality Assured Qualifications (the Register). Qualifications meeting this requirement may include courses at level 1 and 2 on the Register. PTEs are eligible for SAC…

  • Rule SAC009: Qualifications changes - PTEs - NZQA approval

    New Zealand Qualifications Authority approval is required for new or significantly changed private training establishment (PTE) qualifications to be eligible for Student Achievement Component funding or, additionally, learner access to student allowances and the Student Loan Scheme. The PTE's accreditation may also need to be extended if the new or changed qualification is outside the scope of…

  • Rule SAC010: TEO accreditation requirements for SAC and student allowances and Student Loan Scheme

    To access Student Achievement Component funding, or for, additionally, learner access to student allowances and the Student Loan Scheme, tertiary education organisations (TEOs) must be one of the following: Accredited by the relevant quality assurance body to deliver the content of a qualification Able to show that there is an arrangement in place with an accredited TEO to deliver any content f…

  • Rule SAC012: Qualifications - university

    Universities must approve all qualifications internally before requesting external quality assurance approval from the Committee on University Academic Programmes. All university qualifications that include assessment against unit standards must also be referred to the New Zealand Qualifications Authority for the appropriate accreditation. Qualifications leading to registration as a teacher mus…

  • Rule SAC013: Qualifications - ITPs

    The Tertiary Education Commission will only fund qualifications delivered by institutes of technology and polytechnics (ITPs) that are quality assured by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA). The ITP's academic board must approve qualifications internally before requesting NZQA approval. Qualifications leading to registration as a teacher must first be approved by the New Zealand…

  • Rule SAC014: Qualifications - PTEs - NZQA approval

    Private training establishments require approval by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) for all qualifications. Qualifications offered by distance delivery require NZQA approval of distance delivery. Qualifications leading to registration as a teacher must be approved by the New Zealand Teachers' Council before being considered by NZQA. Note: Before 2005, private training…

  • Rule SAC015: Qualifications - wānanga

    The Tertiary Education Commission will only fund qualifications that are quality assured by the appropriate quality assurance body. For qualifications delivered by wānanga, the wānanga’s academic board must internally approve all qualifications before requesting approval from the appropriate body, listed after each qualification type: Local Certificates, Local Diplomas, and short awards – the N…

  • Rule SAC017: Qualifications - approval requirements

    Before the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) approves a new or significantly changed qualification for Student Achievement Component (SAC) funding, the following apply: All tertiary education organisations (TEOs) must ensure the qualification meets the eligibility requirements for SAC funding The funding-related details for the qualification (for example the Funding Category) must be approved…

  • Rule SAC019: Qualifications - approval timeline

    Tertiary education organisations (TEOs) submitting qualifications for approval for Student Achievement Component (SAC) funding or, additionally, learner access to student allowances and the Student Loan Scheme, must do all the following: Submit the application for approval using the Services for Tertiary Education Organisations website Send the appropriate approval documentation from the extern…

  • Rule SAC020: Qualifications - approval and funding commencement

    Student Achievement Component (SAC) or Youth Guarantee funding or, additionally, learner access to student allowances and the Student Loan Scheme will begin from the first course enrolments after the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) has approved the qualification for such funding or learner access. The TEC will not backdate funding, or approval for learner access to student allowances and th…

  • Rule SAC021: Qualifications - approving minor changes

    The two steps below outline how minor changes to qualifications are approved for funding purposes. Minor changes are approved before they are submitted to the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) as follows: For tertiary education institutions (TEIs), the academic board approves the minor changes to a qualification internally, and TEIs must supply academic board minutes to the TEC as evidence of…

  • Rule SAC022: Course funding - eligibility

    To be eligible for Student Achievement Component (SAC) or Youth Guarantee funding, a course must meet all of the following: Have the appropriate internal and/or external quality assurance Be part of a qualification approved for SAC funding Comply with fees policy requirements Be open to the public for enrolment.

  • Rule SAC023: Course funding - ineligibility

    The following courses are ineligible for Student Achievement Component or Youth Guarantee funding: A course that has been developed for a specific employer A course that is restricted to the staff of a specific employer.

  • Rule SAC024: Course funding - submission for approval

    Before a tertiary education organisation (TEO) submits a new course to the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) for Student Achievement Component (SAC) or Youth Guarantee (YG) funding approval, the TEO must ensure the qualification of which the course is a part meets the eligibility requirements and is approved for SAC or YG funding. Note: Before the TEC can approve a new course for SAC/YG…

  • Rule SAC027: Personal study - COP, CPI approval

    To receive Student Achievement Component funding for individual programmes of study that consist of courses or unit standards selected from approved qualifications tertiary education institutions (TEIs) must set up a Certificate of Proficiency (COP) or a Certificate of Personal Interest (CPI) as a generic qualification under which to record individual programmes. Tertiary education institutions…

  • Rule SAC028: Certificates of personal study - CPI, COP - learner demand

    If a number* of learners wish to take the same programme of study, the tertiary education institution must do both the following: Establish the programme of study as a formal qualification Obtain the appropriate formal quality assurance and seek the Tertiary Education Commission's approval for Student Achievement Component funding through the Investment Plan and, if sought, learner access to…

  • Rule SAC029: Qualifications Register

    Tertiary education organisations offering a national certificate or national diploma on the New Zealand Qualifications Framework (NZQF) must use the same code as used on the NZQF for all references to the qualification. Note: The format of the qualification code is alphanumeric. It has two letters followed by four numbers. The two letters are a standard code, for example NC (National…

  • Rule SAC034 : EFTS value of qualifications - determining

    When determining the Equivalent Full-Time Student (EFTS) value of qualifications, tertiary education organisations (TEOs) must do all of the following: Use the following three methods to determine the EFTS value: Credits or points Learning hours Full-time weeks Determine the EFTS value of a qualification using the credits or points method, and then check the result by the hours and weeks of…

  • Rule SAC035: EFTS value of qualifications - credits or points calculation

    When calculating the Equivalent Full-Time Student (EFTS) value using the credits or points method, a tertiary education organisation must do all of the following: Ensure that approval documentation includes the total credits or points required for the qualification to establish its EFTS value Calculate the EFTS value of a qualification using credits as follows: Determine the standard number of…

  • Rule SAC036: EFTS value of qualifications - learning hours calculation

    To calculate the Equivalent Full-Time Student (EFTS) value of a qualification using the learning hours method, a tertiary education organisation must: Determine the qualification’s total learning hours Divide this by the standard measurement of a full-time year (1,200 hours). Example: The following is an example and is not part of the Rule: The total learning hours for one semester are 600 hour…

  • Rule SAC038: EFTS value of qualifications - learning hours and full-time teaching weeks

    For funding purposes learning hours and full-time weeks of learning include: lecturer and tutor contact hours, including workshops and tutorials tests and assignments supervised practical placements study time self-directed learning with tutorial support available exam periods.

  • Rule SAC039: EFTS value of qualifications - full-time teaching or tuition weeks calculation

    To calculate the Equivalent Full-Time Student (EFTS) value based on the standard full-time equivalent teaching weeks (34) of learning, a tertiary education organisation must determine the length of the qualification in weeks and then do one of the following: Divide this number by 34 Multiply this number by 0.03. Example: The following is an example only and is not part of the Rule: If the…

  • Rule SAC040: EFTS value of qualifications - information provision

    Tertiary education organisations (TEOs) must provide information on the three methods of calculating Equivalent Full-Time Student (EFTS) values (credits or points, learning hours, and teaching weeks) when they enter the qualification details on the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) Qualifications Register. Note: The convergence of these three methods is a signal that learners studying for a…

  • Rule SAC041: EFTS value of qualifications - information provision

    Where the following circumstances apply in relation to national certificates and diplomas, the tertiary education organisation (TEO) must take the action stated in the table below: Exception Action Qualifications that have credit totals that vary by more than 5% from the standard specified in the qualification prescription for the national certificate or diploma. TEOs must not class this…

  • Rule SAC042: EFTS value of qualifications - with strands

    Where tertiary education organisations submit a qualification with strands for approval for Student Achievement Component funding, they must propose the Equivalent Full-Time Student value of the strand with the highest credit value they are approved to deliver.

  • Rule SAC043: EFTS factors of courses - qualifications with strands

    If a qualification comprises two or more strands, the Equivalent Full-Time Student (EFTS) factor for each course is determined by dividing each course's credits as follows: for qualifications comprising of up to 120 credits, or 120 credits per year (the number of credits in a full-time year of study), by 120 for qualifications comprising more than 120 credits and delivered in one year, by the…

  • Rule SAC044: EFTS value of qualifications - accelerated and compressed programmes

    The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) will take a conservative approach to funding accelerated or compressed programmes of study. The convergence of all three methods of determining the Equivalent Full-Time Student (EFTS) value will be considered by the TEC when deciding on the appropriate EFTS value for funding purposes. Note: Some tertiary education organisations allow learners to complete…

  • Rule SAC045: EFTS value of qualifications - compressed or integrated programmes

    The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) only recognises two situations where the Equivalent Full-Time Student (EFTS) value for a qualification (or combination of qualifications) may differ from the norm: Where a tertiary education organisation is delivering a programme in less than the normal amount of time Note: This normally results in a reduced EFTS value in relation to the qualification’s…

  • Rule SAC046: EFTS value of qualifications - study for more than normal hours

    When a tertiary education organisation (TEO) requires all learners enrolled in a qualification to study for more than the normal learning hours per teaching week, the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) will consider an Equivalent Full-Time Student (EFTS) value for the qualification that is higher than would be derived from the teaching weeks, provided the relevant quality assurance body has…

  • Rule SAC047: EFTS value of qualifications - study for more than normal hours evidence

    A tertiary education organisation (TEO) must demonstrate all of the following before the Tertiary Education Commission will base a higher Equivalent Full-Time Student (EFTS) value (for study exceeding the normal learning hours per week) on learning hours: Learners who are awarded the qualification achieve an equivalent academic standard to those completing similar qualifications in a normal…

  • Rule SAC048: EFTS value of qualifications - study for more than normal hours value where TEC not satisfied

    If the Tertiary Education Commission is not fully satisfied that a higher-than-normal Equivalent Full-Time Student (EFTS) value (for study exceeding the normal learning hours per week) should be based on learning hours, the tertiary education organisation must determine the EFTS value for the qualification based on the number of full-time-equivalent teaching weeks.

  • Rule SAC049: EFTS value of qualifications - accelerated study negotiation with the TEC

    When a programme takes a variety of approaches to accelerated study, the tertiary education organisation must negotiate the Equivalent Full-Time Student value with the Tertiary Education Commission.

  • Rule SAC050: EFTS value of qualifications - studying extra courses

    If additional courses become the expected norm for all learners undertaking a qualification, the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) regards this as a significant change to the qualification, requiring new approval by an external quality assurance body. The TEC would reset the Equivalent Full-Time Student (EFTS) value of that qualification to no more than one EFTS unit for each 12 month period…