Purpose

The Youth Guarantee (YG) Fund provides fees-free tertiary education for learners aged 16–24 years who have no or low prior qualification achievement. Learners may study towards:

• NCEA Level 1, 2 or 3 aligned to the Vocational Pathways; or
• another qualification at Level 1, 2 or 3 on the New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF) that is intended to enable learners to progress to higher-level education or employment.

YG funding for enrolments at Level 3 on the NZQCF is to be prioritised to: 

• learners who studied towards Level 1 and 2 qualifications through YG and are progressing to Level 3 study during their YG funding entitlement; and
• learners with no or low (Level 1) prior achievement before enrolling in YG. 

Youth Guarantee interaction with Fees Free

Courses and programmes funded under Youth Guarantee that started on or after 1 July 2020 do not use a learner's entitlement to Fees Free, and do not impact a learner's future eligibility for Fees Free.