On this page: 

• Fees Free is for the first qualification or programme a learner completes
• Learners starting study or training for the first time on or after 1 January 2025
• Learners who have undertaken study or training before 1 January 2025

Prior study and training eligibility will depend on:

• if the learner has completed any other qualifications or programmes on or after 1 January 2025, and
• if the learner has undertaken any study or training before 2025.

Fees Free is for the first qualification or programme a learner completes

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

In most circumstances, learners will not be able to claim Fees Free for a qualification or programme that is not the first qualification or programme they have completed on or after 1 January 2025.

If a learner has completed any overseas tertiary qualification or programme at any level or any duration, on or after 1 January 2025, they are not eligible for Fees Free.

Learners will not be able to claim Fees Free if they have completed one or more qualifications or programmes that were:

• completed on or after 1 January 2025, and
• completed before they completed the qualification or programme they are seeking Fees Free for, and
• at Level 3 or above on the NZQCF, and were
  • provider-based study equal to or greater than 0.5 equivalent full-time student (EFTS) units, or
  • work-based learning made up of at least 120 credits.

Exceptions

The following New Zealand qualifications will not affect a learner’s eligibility even if it was completed first:

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

Any study or training undertaken on or after 1 January 2025 that a learner does not complete will not impact their eligibility for Fees Free.

Learners starting study or training for the first time on or after 1 January 2025

Learners can get Fees Free if they are starting study for the first time on or after 1 January 2025 and they meet the other residency and prior study criteria.

Learners are not considered to be starting study for the first time if they have undertaken any study or training before 1 January 2025. This includes study or training that:

• was undertaken overseas
• wasn’t funded by the Tertiary Education Commission
• not completed, or was withdrawn from, outside the refund period
• received a fail grade for
• had no fees
• was paid for by the learner or by a student loan (whether the loan is now repaid or not)
• was part of workplace training or an apprenticeship
• you undertaken while enrolled in secondary education as an adult learner.

Learners who have undertaken study or training before 1 January 2025

Learners will not be eligible for Fees Free if they have undertaken study or training 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 New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF), and
• any tertiary education at an equivalent level and duration undertaken in any country prior to 1 January 2025.

The following do not count as prior study or training undertaken before 1 January 2025:

• any tertiary education undertaken while enrolled in secondary school
• any credits achieved as part of an industry training programme of fewer than 120 credits that were reported on after 1 January 2018
• any zero fee courses undertaken from 1 January 2023
• any tertiary study or training that was funded through the Youth Guarantee, Māori and Pasifika Trades Training or Refugee English Funds
• any study or training undertaken from 1 January 2025.

Targeted Training Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF)-funded programmes are included when assessing a learner’s prior study.

Definition of “undertaken”

If a learner has “undertaken” study or training, it means they have previously enrolled in tertiary education. For the purposes of Fees Free eligibility, this includes any tertiary education before 2025 that:

• was undertaken in New Zealand and/or overseas
• was not funded by the TEC
• was part-time or full-time study or training
• was workplace training or an apprenticeship
• was New Zealand study or training that pre-dated the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) or New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework (NZQCF)
• was not completed, including where a 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 accessing a student loan, using a scholarship, or paying for it themself.