What is an exception?

The requirements for tertiary education organisations (TEOs) to verify learner identity and eligibility are listed in the funding conditions for individual funds on the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) website.

Funding conditions by year

An exception authorises you to use an alternative method, or provide different documentation, to those defined in the funding conditions for verifying learner identity and/or eligibility documents.

We will only approve exceptions when you are unable to meet the funding conditions. The requirements in the funding conditions for verifying learner identity and eligibility must remain the default method for verifying learners.

If you are granted an exception this will stay in force until TEC revokes it.

TEC reserves the right to revoke any exceptions granted. If we are considering revoking an exception, we will discuss this with you first.

Eligibility to apply for an exception

If there are special circumstances that may justify using an alternative process or documentation, you can apply for an exception.

Your alternative documentation must still include a learner’s full name, date of birth, and must be government-issued or managed.

You are eligible to apply for an exception if:

• you are a TEO receiving funding from the TEC that is covered by our funding conditions, or
• you are an organisation seeking to have your form of identification approved as an alternative to those in the funding conditions, or seeking to be approved as a third party verifier on a TEO’s behalf.

How to apply

To apply, you must meet the eligibility described above, and must complete the application template. The application template is available on request.

If you want to apply for an exception, please contact our Customer Contact Group at customerservice@tec.govt.nz with the subject line Learner ID & Eligibility exception application or phone 0800 601 301.

How we will assess your application

There are three parts to your application:

• Part 1: Organisation information and declaration
• Part 2: Proposed exception and need for it
• Part 3: Capability to deliver the proposed exception.

We will assess your application against the following criteria:

• Criterion 1 (Need): Has the need been identified and justified?
• Criterion 2 (Alignment): Does the proposed new documentation or method align to TEC requirements?
• Criterion 3 (Capability): Do the organisations involved have capability to deliver the exception?
• Criterion 4 (Risk): Have any risks been identified and have they been mitigated to an acceptable level?

We may also consider information not in your application and may seek to verify anything you include in your application.