To get Fees Free, learners must complete an eligible qualification or programme on or after 1 January 2025.

On this page:

• The final year must start on or after 1 January 2025
• Eligible qualifications and programmes
• Ineligible qualifications and programmes

The final year must start on or after 1 January 2025

To get Fees Free, learners must start their final year on or after 1 January 2025. This applies even if the overall qualification or programme started before 1 January 2025.

Eligible qualifications and programmes

Eligible qualifications and programmes must be:

• at Levels 3 or above on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF), and
• recognised by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) or Universities New Zealand, and
• Tertiary Education Commission (TEC)-funded from:
  • the Delivery at Levels 3–7 (non-degree) on the NZQCF and all industry training Fund (DQ3-7), or
  • the Delivery at Levels 7 (degree) to 10 on the NZQCF Fund (DQ7-10), or
  • a grant under section 556 of the Education and Training Act 2020.

Provider-based qualifications

Eligible provider-based qualifications must be equal to or greater than 0.5 equivalent full-time students (EFTS).

Work-based programmes

Eligible work-based programmes must comprise at least 120 credits.

Ineligible qualifications and programmes

Some qualifications and programmes are ineligible for Fees Free.

Learners cannot get Fees Free for:

• certificates of proficiency
• pathway qualifications
• zero-fee qualifications
• school learning programmes
• secondary tertiary programmes
• qualifications funded through the Youth Guarantee (YG) Fund, Māori and Pasifika Trades Training (MPTT) Fund, or the ILN Refugee English Fund.

Pathway qualifications

Pathway qualifications are excluded from Fees Free to ensure learners do not use their Fees Free entitlement on a qualification intended to prepare them for further study or training. Learners who complete a pathway qualification will be able to access Fees Free for the next eligible qualification or programme they complete.

Any qualification confirmed as a pathway qualification will be excluded for all learners. The exclusion cannot consider individual learner intentions.

Definition of pathway qualification

Pathway qualifications are defined as qualifications that prepare learners to progress into further study and training by supporting them to meet minimum entry requirements and/or develop the required skills for higher study. For the purposes of final-year Fees Free, this includes:

• bridging qualifications
• Certificates of University Preparation
• Certificates in Study and Employment Pathways
• Level 3 Study and Career Preparation (except when primarily intended for career preparation). 

Pathway qualifications will generally have learning outcomes related to developing and demonstrating skills required for further study or meeting minimum entry requirements.

Qualifications where the learning outcomes or content focus mostly on understanding and demonstrating subject-specific content, such as arts or science, are unlikely to be considered a pathway qualification.

Adding a pathway qualification

When you submit a new qualification request to TEC, we will also assess if it is a pathway qualification for Fees Free purposes. You will be notified if the qualification has been added to the list of pathway qualifications that are excluded from Fees Free.