On this page:

• Qualifications and programmes completed after 1 January 2025
• Study or work-based learning before 1 January 2025

Learners can only get Fees Free for the first qualification or programme they complete. If they have studied or done work-based learning previously, they may not be able to get Fees Free for their current qualification or programme.

Qualifications and programmes completed after 1 January 2025

Fees Free is for the first qualification or programme a learner completes on or after 1 January 2025.

If a learner has completed a previous qualification or programme in New Zealand, in most cases they cannot get Fees Free.

If a learner has completed any overseas tertiary qualification or programme from 1 January 2025, of any length of time and at any level, they cannot get Fees Free.

Exceptions – previous study and work-based learning allowed

There are exceptions where learners may get Fees Free even if they have already completed a qualification or programme in New Zealand from 1 January 2025.

Previous study and work-based learning allowed:

• certificates of proficiency
• pathway qualifications
• zero-fee programmes
• school learning programmes
• secondary tertiary programmes (like trades academies)
• qualifications funded through the Youth Guarantee (YG) Fund, Māori and Pasifika Trades Training (MPTT) Fund or the ILN Refugee English Fund
• qualifications or programmes at Levels 1 or 2 on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF)
• provider-based qualifications and credentials under 0.5 equivalent full-time students (EFTS)
• work-based programmes under 120 credits.

From 1 January 2025 any study or work-based learning learners do not complete will not impact their eligibility for Fees Free.

Study or work-based learning before 1 January 2025

Learners generally cannot get Fees Free if they have undertaken study or work-based learning before 1 January 2025 that is:

• more than half a year of equivalent full-time tertiary education (0.5 EFTS or 60 credits), and
• at Level 3 or above on the NZQCF, and
• any tertiary education at an equivalent level and duration undertaken in any country before 1 January 2025.

This also includes study or work-based learning that:

• was undertaken in New Zealand and/or overseas
• was not funded by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC)
• was undertaken part-time or full-time
• was workplace training or an apprenticeship
• was New Zealand study or work-based learning that pre-dated the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) or NZQCF
• was not completed, including where the learner withdrew after the refund period
• received a fail grade
• was undertaken as a domestic or international student
• before 2023, had no fees associated with it
• was paid for by the learner by accessing a student loan, using a scholarship, or paying for it themselves
• was a Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF)-funded programme.

If a learner started in 2024 or earlier but has done less than half a year, they may be able to get Fees Free.

Exceptions – previous study and work-based learning allowed

There are exceptions where learners may get Fees Free even if they have already undertaken study or work-based learning before 1 January 2025.

Learners may be able to get Fees Free if their previous study or work-based learning was:

• any tertiary education while enrolled in secondary school
• credits achieved after 1 January 2018 as part of a work-based programme – if it was less than 120 credits in total
• a course studied after 1 January 2023 – if it had zero tuition fees and zero compulsory course costs for all learners
• any tertiary study or work-based learning that was funded through the Youth Guarantee, Māori and Pasifika Trades Training or Refugee English Funds.